


Exsolutus

by eccentrix



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Blood, Depression, Drugs, F/F, F/M, LITTLE DOES SHE FUCKING KNOW, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, My therapist told me writing as an outlet would be good for me, Pay attention to the triggers I have tagged please - they are in almost every chapter, Rituals, Self Harm, Slightly depressed Shisui - who am I kidding he is very depressed, Suicide, Violence, bisexual naruto, dark/religious themes, sidepairings: SasuNaru - NejiTen - MinaKushi - JiraTsu, trigger warnings for:
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2019-12-31 23:43:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 51,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18324359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eccentrix/pseuds/eccentrix
Summary: You lived a relatively easy life. You worked at your mothers gym, went to school, and practiced martial arts in your off time. Besides petty family rivalries and barely passed tests, you didn't have much to worry about.But you would soon have to become accustomed to the sight of your entire life flashing before your eyes.





	1. Exordium

**Author's Note:**

> Blah, summary sucks. Anyways, this story is gonna have drugs, violence, sex, demons, mental health issues, you name it. I have so many ideas that revolve around those things right now and I'm milking any creativity I have right now since it's been so long from the last time I sat down and wrote something. 
> 
> If this type of thing isn't your style, don't trip. I'm gonna have a non-supernatural story that follows a similar story line. 
> 
> Hope you guys like this at least a little bit.

A sigh escaped your lips as your half lidded eyes flickered open and shut. You struggled to focus on the running streams of rainwater that ran over the other side of the window as the car sped through empty streets. Your chin slipped off of your palm as your eyes fluttered again, thoroughly jolting you awake.

“Fuck,” you hissed, shifting in the leather seat and eyeing the driver for a split second in their rear view mirror. Thankfully, his attention was still on the road and you hadn’t been caught dozing off like that. As shameless as the entirety of the situation was, getting caught sleeping in a strangers car - despite the fact that it had been ordered for you - was not on the agenda for today.

Your phone lit up, a low buzz denoting the fact that you’d been sent a text message. You sleepily rubbed at your eyes before picking up the phone that had fallen in between your thighs that were clothed in sweats that definitely weren’t yours. You sighed and pressed on the notification.

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:15 AM]_

_You home yet?_

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[3:16 AM]_ **

**_No. Still in the car._ **

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:16 AM]_

_Damn that dude must drive slow. Sorry that I had to wake you up so early. Sasuke gets up before the ass crack of dawn on Saturdays._

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[3:17 AM]_ **

**_It’s okay, Shisui. I understand, lol._ **

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:20 AM]_

_Just cause you understand doesn’t mean I feel any better. You looked exhausted._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:24 AM]_

_You can keep the clothes._

You looked up from your phone once you started to recognize the closeness of the surrounding area to your house. You grabbed your purse from the middle seat and thanked the driver as he pulled up to your house. Thankfully he didn’t make any inappropriate jokes or anything as you left. You’d have to tell Shisui to give him 5 stars or something.

You rushed to the front door, flipping the black hood over your head to avoid the discomfort of sopping wet hair when you inevitably collapsed onto your bed. You unlocked the door as quietly as possible, snuck through the hallway, and finally slowed your door shut. As you promised yourself you would do when Shisui woke you up at this ungodly hour, your flopped onto your bed with a soft grunt. You figured you should let Shisui know you’d made it safely - he’d asked you to, after all.

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[3:35 AM]_ **

**_Thanks, but I’m good. I have plenty of clothes._ **

**_I’m home by the way. Goodnight._ **

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:35 AM]_

_Lol, stubborn as always. Happy birthday (Name). Dream of_

 

You rolled your tired eyes. He must’ve fallen asleep mid-text. You tossed your phone to the side. It didn’t take long for you to become one with the piles of mismatched pillows and blankets, and you quickly drifted back to sleep.

_**~~~~~~** _

_You knew this was a dream, but your heartbeat was beating wildly anyways._

_You’d followed the twisted, winding hallways until they lead you to a staircase. It was a straight, metal staircase that was freezing to touch. Down, down, down it went - and down some more until it finally left off to the darkest, coldest room you’d ever had the misfortune to be in._

_As you took your final step, you took a breath, expecting to to land onto what you expected to be an unforgivingly hard floor. Instead, your bare foot fell into a pool of liquid. The dim, flickering flames of the old-fashioned lanterns illuminated the floor only slightly; however, it was enough for you to discern that the liquid was dark in color, and much thicker than normal liquid should be._

_It felt much too real as it sloshed between your toes and over the top of your feet as you walked. Your breathing seemed to hasten as your anxiety peaked, your body trembling lightly as you put one foot in front of another._

_You tried to stop walking. You truly did. But every time your mind willed your body to freeze, a sharp jolt of pain would shoot up your spine, and your body would continue of its own accord. You desperately wanted to stop, and the sickening sound of the sloshing made your stomach turn because_ **_God_ ** _you knew that couldn’t be water, and your head was starting to pound unnaturally hard and your throat had dried and your body was heating up at an alarming pace and-_

_A blood curdling, sickening screech echoed throughout the emptiness of the hallway, bouncing off of the stone walls again and again. Tears sprung to your eyes immediately. You had never heard such a desperate, hoarse scream before, and you just knew the person was in pain._

_Once again, against your will, your body moved. You were sprinting towards the voice, fighting back the tears you didn’t know the cause of in the first place. That gut wrenching scream sounded again, this time louder as you were closer, and you ran harder. By now you were sure the liquid had soaked through whatever you were wearing - you never looked - and you cringed, gritting your teeth as the scream filled your ears again. A second once sounded, and then a third, and you found yourself involuntarily gagging once you heard the gargle that followed._

_You followed the lanterns, ran towards the sound. The more you ran, the more aware of your surroundings you became. You were wearing a dress, that hallway was seemingly endless, and the liquid had risen to your ankles. You still couldn’t see, but you saw the silhouette of a door in front of you, and you lunged for it._

_The worst of the screams assaulted your ears. You grasped at the handle, desperately trying to lurch it open but to no fruition. You whimpered, the loud wailing bursting the dam that had held back your tears._

_“I’m coming!” You called out, surprising yourself. “I’m trying to help you! Just hold on!”_

_“(Name)!?” Your blood ran cold, recognizing the voice behind the door despite how hoarse and garbled it sounded. “Fuck! No! Get out of here!”_

_“Shisui, what the fuck is going on?!” You demanded, suddenly getting a burst of energy and trying over and over again to wrench the door open. “Shisui!”_

_You’d never heard him like that. You’d never heard anyone like that. And for it to be him…_

_“No…” His voice was weaker, smaller._

_“What do you mean no?!” You asked shrilly._

_“Please don’t involve her in this. She has nothing to do with this.”_

_Your mouth went impossibly dry. Your fingers slipped from the golden knob._

_“Who are you talking to?”_

_“(Name)...”_

_You took a step back. The way he’d said your name sent a chill down your spine._

_“Shisui… what’s going on?”_

_He screamed again. You squeezed your eyes shut, balling your fists and banging on the door._

_“Shisui! Open this fucking door!”_

_It swung open. Your eyes narrowed as you came upon the sight of Shisui sitting in the midst of candles and an odd design drawn in what looked like blood. He looked up at you and you finally took in his appearance._

_Crimson was pouring out of every orifice. Your eyes widened and you took a startled step back._

_“Please don’t hurt her.”_

_“Shisui? What are you doing…” It took every drop of courage that you could muster to take a step forward. He looked absolutely wrecked, near death even, impossibly pale and covered in his own blood. In the corner of your eye, you saw a flash of red and white. You looked down._

_Your white dress was soaked in blood. Your legs were covered in it._

_Shisui stood, his hands shaking as he reached for you. “Come here, (Name). Please come here. Don’t scream.”_

_You didn’t move._

_“For fucks sake, (Name), come over here! You’re not safe there!”_

_“What are you talking about!?” You demanded, fighting your fear and caught between the desire to run, help him, or cry._

_“Lower your voice. Just come here.”_

_“Are you doing some kind of fucking ritual?!”_

_The wicks flickered._

_Shisui’s bloodied face fell even further. “Goddamn it. Now it’s too late.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“He’s got you too now.”_

_“What are you fucking talking about?!”_

_“I fucking failed. I thought I could protect you but I failed.”_

_An excruciating pain bloomed from your chest. Your vision blurred and you gasped aloud. You took a few steps back from the force - the force of_ **_what_ ** _you didn’t know - but fuck did it hurt._

_You fell to your knees, and your blood splattered on the cold stone floor. You struggled to lift your head to look at Shisui before you could, but your face collided with the ground._

_You let out a gargled cough and you groaned in pain. You slowly lifted your head again, your eyes widening in fear again as they met with Shisui’s._

_The whites of his eyes were pitch black._

_Your breath hitched in your throat as he suddenly appeared in front of you, wrapping his large hand around your throat and slamming you down onto the ground._

_Tears fell freely from your tightly closed eyes as you yelped. A cold shiver ran down your spine as you took in his voice next as it mingled with something that hardly sounded human._

_“Don’t scream.”_

 

**_~~~~~~_ **

“Jesus fucking Christ, open the door (Name)!”

A rush of air filled your lungs, cooling the burning sensation that had settled there. Your eyes shot open and you sputtered, coughing and gasping as if you’d been choked in reality. You could still feel Shisui’s fingers around your throat - and not in the fashion that you _preferred_ them to be, and it made you whimper softly to yourself as you slowly woke.

Your fingers made gentle contact with the skin of your neck, and you hissed as it stung. Your brows furrowed. How the fuck was it so sensitive? Shisui hadn’t been that rough with you last night, so it couldn’t have been that. Could it have been the dream? Had you choked yourself in your sleep?

“I swear to fucking God I will kick this door down if you do not open it in 3 seconds!”

You jumped at the sound of your mothers frantic voice. You lifted the hood of Shisui’s sweater a bit just in case there were any marks on your neck. Your mom yelled your name impossibly loud. You fell to the ground as you rushed to open it, a loud _fuck_ slipping through your lips as you fell. You opened the door hastily, ignoring the eerie pain in your chest as you made the motion to open it.

Your mother's blonde brows were creased with worry, and her fist was balled, giving away the fact that she was about to knock once again. Her brown eyes softened when she saw you, relieved you were okay. Her face hardened again a moment later.

“Why the hell are you screaming and crying?” Her rough fingers wiped away the tears that you hadn’t realized were there.

“I had a nightmare,” you explained, sighing softly. “I’m okay though.” Her expression softened again and she sighed just as you did.

“You scared the shit out of me, (Name). I thought you were getting attacked or something.”

“Sorry, mom. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She sighed again, pursing her pink lips into a smile afterwards. “It’s fine,” she started. “Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you up when breakfast is ready.” You gave her a smile, taking a few steps back.

“Thanks mom.” She smiled her brilliant smile.

“Happy birthday, (Name). 21 years ago, I was-“

You started closing the door. “Okay mom! I'm going to sleep now! Bye!”

Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms underneath her bust. “Wait a minute, whose clothes are those? I don’t remember buying you that sweater!”

“Bye!” You sang, closing and locking the door. You just knew she was rolling her eyes. You allowed a smile to take your lips, trying to relax.

You laid back down on your bed, your fingers finding your phone. Your smile wavered as your eyes landed on texts from Shisui. That dream had really shaken you, and if it was to be taken as a sign, then this couldn't mean anything good.

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:55 AM]_

_Die. Die. Die._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:55 AM]_

_You will both die._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:56 AM]_

_I will kill you both._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:57 AM]_

_Don’t sleep._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:58 AM]_

_Don’t breathe._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:59 AM]_

_Don’t scream._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:59 AM]_

_Y̢͖͙̭̟̝̦̐̈́̈́̓͗͜͢͡ó̷̡̗̻̗̙͔̬͐̄͐̏̉͂͠u̴̹͍̩̹̞̘̦̘͍̿͒̋̔̌͘͘̕͜ w̸̢͎͎͚͐̐̈́͗̂͌͡ͅi̤̝̫̥͕͍̥̬̐̂̓̆̒̌͟ͅl̷̛̩̥͓̰͓͍̊̎̀̈́͞͞l̵̞̳͇̲͓̬͕͐̊̉̚͠ͅ f̸̨̧͓͙̖͂́͛̉͒͘͘͟͟ủ̵̧̧͓̝͉̩̭̆́̑̚ͅc̤̟̦̺̘̬̐͐̊͂͞͞k̸̥̳͉̥͉͈͉̎̃̆̉̊͜͞͝ȋ̱͚̝͔̖̤̐̀̈̉͌̚̚n̶̼̮̥̯̠̩͍̪͚̹̾̽̚̚͠g̸̜̰͈͙̮̟͊̀̑͑͑̓̽͘̚͟ d̡̨̫͇͇̗͇̮̥̾̑̾̀̾̚i̵̡̧̡͈͉̰͌̕͡͠e̗̲̠̗̙̯̣͌͂̾́̋͐̄͢_

 

Your fingers were trembling, your breathing labored and your eyes wide as you read through his messages. You let out a gasp as your phone screen went black, and you dropped it as if it were burning your hands. You watched your phone with eyes full of fear as the brand logo took the screen.

“Jesus fuck,” you muttered, your voice shaking. “What the fuck was that?”

You nearly jumped out of your skin as your ringtone blared loudly. You winced - you could see the caller ID from here. It was Shisui, but after those texts you were a bit hesitant to answer the phone. You swallowed your fear, slowly reaching for your phone and taking a deep breath as you did so.

This was really so surreal. From the dream, to the pain… you couldn’t explain it. There was no way to explain it. But still, something told you that you should answer that phone. Whether it was Shisui or not - whether he was _normal_ or not - you wouldn’t find out without answering.

“Hello?”

_“Thank god you answered. I seriously almost had a panic attack. What’s with those texts you sent me last night?”_

“What do you mean?” You asked, your hands beginning to sweat due to your rising anxiety.

_“You said that you hated me. That you were going to kill yourself and take me with you. That you weren't going to let me live in peace. What the fuck is up with that?”_

You groaned, rubbing your forehead. “Shisui, I think something weird happened last night. I got weird texts from you too. And I had this weird fucking nightmare…”

You were taking this really well, in your own fucking opinion. This was insane, and you might’ve sobbed in your sleep and even possibly choked yourself, but you were determined not to let this ruin your 21st, _goddamnit!_

“ _What did they say? That’s hella weird. Honestly I thought that you’d snapped and caught feelings for me or something and went all crazy on me. But if I sent you texts too then something weird must be going on.”_

Something crashed in the background and you heard him curse a few times before he sighed and you rolled your eyes, flicking on the speaker phone.

“First off, I would never catch feelings for an Uchiha,” you started, going to pull up your messages. “Wait, they’re gone. What the hell?! They’re _gone_!” A moment of silence followed. “Check yours!”

You could hear the perplexity in his voice when he spoke next. “ _What the hell… Mine are gone too_.”

“This shit is ridiculous. Why does this have to happen on my birthday?!” You heard him sigh through the phone.

“ _Your birthday is gonna be fine. We’ll figure this out. Maybe it’s a service line glitch or something. I’ll look into it. I’ll see you later, (Name). Don’t think about it too much.”_

He had clearly been in some sort of hurry, because he didn’t give you any time to respond before he hung up. You huffed softly and threw your phone to the side, ignoring the other text messages that others had sent you wishing you a good birthday.

You’d respond to them later. Right now, you were beyond exhausted and your head was filled with thoughts of what the hell happened last night. It was unfortunate that such a shitty dream had taken precedence over all of the effort Shisui had expended to make your “birthday fuck” one of the best you ever had. It honestly was, and your sore legs were testament to that, but the sting of the skin of your neck was a bigger concern concern to you than anything else at this point.

Even still, you managed to drift off to sleep once again.

To your relief, you were able to rest without any interruptions. You had a full breakfast and went to start your birthday celebrations.

To say that you got blackout drunk that night was an understatement. You woke up the next morning in a bathroom you couldn’t immediately recognize while dressed in clothes that you knew, based off of the way they hung on your body, were your second -  no… third... whatever - they were your cousins. You yelled his name, clutching your head as you willed your body to lift itself. You found your vision swimming and your stomach lurched; you clutched onto the toilet bowl as if it was your lifelong while you rode out the nauseousness.

“Stop yelling my name like that (Name)! I swear to god you’re starting to sound like Sasuke!” You chuckled through the sickness as your cousin whipped the door open.

“I don’t need to know how Sasuke sounds while you’re fucking, Naruto,” you moaned, holding back an attractive gag.

You knew he was rolling his eyes. “You know I wouldn’t sleep with an Uchiha, (Name). Open your eyes and take this bottle of water.”

You followed his instructions, leaning back on your right palm as you did so. You met his amused gaze with a confused one of your own. “What?”

“You were so fucked up last night,” he started, a mischievous grin growing on his lips. “You started hitting on your sparring partner pretty hard. Everyone was confused,” he ended with a laugh. “We didn’t know you were into him in that way.” You scratched your head as your drank, narrowing your eyes as you tried to recall who he could be talking about.

You had a lot of sparring partners.

Oh, god.

You choked on the freezing cold water that had somehow lodged itself in your airway, coughing hard. You sputtered, once again grasping the side of the toilet as your head spun and your gut lurched in warning.

“Y-you don’t mean Shisui, right?”

 _Please no_ , you thought. _He will kill me for throwing myself at him in public and I’ll never get to fu-_

“What? Sasuke’s cousin? No, (Name), he’s hardly your _partner_. He’s more like your rival. I meant that Hidan dude.”

Your face immediately paled. “Jesus Christ,” you mumbled, attempting to take a second sip. “I must’ve been _way_ too drunk then.”

“You almost left your phone at the club you know,” a second voice chimed in, coming towards the two of you. You desperately tried to pull yourself together at the sound of that voice.

Her vibrant eyes settled on you as she turned the corner and she watched you stumble to a stand.

Karin.

Her and Naruto might’ve been twins, but they couldn’t be anymore different; well, besides their tendency to be loud and obnoxious and their obvious attraction to Uchiha Sasuke (Naruto was the only one to deny that though). Her hair was a fiery red in likeness of their mother, your _first_ cousin, and Naruto was the spitting image of their father. She was more adept with academics, and he was gifted in athletics. While she had _some_ tact - even though she chose not to use it - he had none at all. Naruto was the most accepting and least judgmental person you knew, and again, she was the exact opposite.

As your face tinged red, you wondered why the hell you invited her in the first place.

Your cell phone was placed gently in your hands. She pushed up her glasses with a finger before nodding at you. “I charged it for you. Next time, try not to get so drunk. You made a fool of yourself. Naruto had to carry you out of the club.”

He rolled his blue eyes. “It was her birthday Karin, she had every right to get sloppy drunk. Don’t pretend that you haven’t done that before.”

She clicked her tongue, placing her hand on her hip. “You’re not the one who had to wash the puke out of her hair last night. Speaking of which, you might want to take another shower (Name). I doubt that I got it all.”

You cringed. “I thought I smelled something. Thanks, Karin.”

She started to walk away. “Just don’t get that drunk again.”

Naruto sent a sharp glare at her back. “Don’t listen to that stick in the mud. Do what you want. We all had fun last night and you weren’t the only one puking.” He grinned at you. “I’ll leave a towel and some of my clothes at the door for you. Get washed up, my mom made some bomb ass pancakes for us.”

You smiled back at him. “Thanks, Naruto.”

He closed the door as he left, and you set your phone on the bathroom sink. You got in the shower, setting it to your preferred temperature, and began your shower concert. Your head was still pounding, so you were doing what you could to distract yourself from the incessant pounding. After you had sufficiently cleaned yourself and took an unnecessary bow, you stepped out, and retrieved everything Naruto had said he’d get for you.

You set it all down on the counter before picking up your phone, eyes widening when you saw a number of texts from your friends, your mom, and (your heart dropped) Shisui. Your mom told you that Kushina had called her and let her know that you had gone over there and she asked you to call her when you were coherent. The others were regarding the night before. You responded to everyone, saving Shisui for last. Your eyes narrowed as you read the plethora of texts he’d sent you while you’d blacked out. At one point, you’d apparently been having a conversation, but it stopped abruptly and then some concerning messages had appeared.

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:24 AM]_

_Glad you’re safe._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:24 AM]_

_Still kinda mad you were all over Hidan rather than me, but I guess that’s how it goes when you’re only FWB lol_

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:46 AM]_

_I’m sorry._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:48 AM]_

_I shouldn’t have said that._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:50 AM]_

_Just ignore that._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:52 AM]_

_Just like you ignore everything else._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:55 AM]_

_Everything. You ignore everything. You dumb fucking bitch._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:58 AM]_

_You’ll die together._

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:59 AM]_

_Tainting the bloodline. Tainting the bloodline._  
_._  
_T̴͚͎̥̫͍̜̖́͌͆̽͜͠͝ą̧̞̤̲͈͕̒̇͑͛̈́̕͟ï̴͉̙͇̜̟̪̉̐͞ņ̷̧̜̪͉̪͈̹͙͚͑̔͌̉͋̒́t̯̻̩̳̽͋̓̒͂͊͒̊̕͜ḯ̢̨̦̪̻̣̿͋̃̀̃̒̕͢͠n̗̟͚̗͐̅̾͗̑͛̆͘ͅg̴̳̙̘̮̝̬̹̉̎̊̆̎̚͞ͅ t̴͓͔͎͖͍̟̐͆̋̃͞h̡̨̙͓̹͚̏̉̽̍͋e̢̱̹̩̟̜̦̙͌͂̈͗͛̽ͅ b̶̨̧̗̲̹̔̋̔̍̿̚l̝̯̺͍̤͓̤̜̣̑̈̆̔͊̑̿̚̚ơ̵̢̗̬͖͓̘̮̄̏̈̓͐͟o̤̣͇͉̞͉̔͌̇̏̈̚̕͟d̺̦͉̺̮̎͆͋͑̌́͑͊͢l͍̗̰̯̣͗̎̓̿̈́͌͢͡͝ͅi̛̻̝̼̠̰̘͕̒̆̓̆͘͘͟n̛̼̥̙̖̣̩̼̞̐̂̏̔̏͋̌̚̚͜͜ḛ̶̢̭̰̦̩̈̆̑̈̀̒̽͜͟͠_  
.

You phone went black again, sending a shock of fear through you that you felt in every nerve in your body. You felt a scream bubble up in your throat, but it got caught there. Your eyes flickered up to the mirror, and they widened at the sight of a stark white arm around your throat. It was too foggy to make out the form of the person, and your gaze switched frantically from the mirror down to where it _should_ have been - around your throat.

It wasn’t there. The reflection was, and you could _feel_ it for fucks sake, but it _wasn’t there._

A pain you’d never felt before shook you from your trance. It started from your temple, and once you frantically searched the mirror again, you could _see_ a knife sinking into your skin there. You let out a whimper as the sickly pale arm drug the knife down the side of your face. You were too terrified to attempt to scream or move, your phone lying uselessly between your immobile fingers.

You could feel the grip on your throat tighten as the knife sunk deeper into your skin, dragging down into the bone of your cheek. Crimson dripped from the open wound as the navy blue rug beneath your feet. Your mouth opened uselessly, your body trembled and tears of horror ran down your face as the pain stole what remained of your breath.

Where your tears should’ve been were streams of red.

The panic, the pain - nothing had ever hit you so hard in your life. A feeling of dread and helplessness washed over you then, and as more blood began to drain from the wound at your head, you began sobbing. It was a pitiful sound - hardly a sound at all. The devastation and fear began to settle in your gut, but as it did, acceptance did as well.

You were going to die. This was not an earthly presence, whatever it was, and it would be useless to fight it. It clearly wanted you _and_ Shisui dead. Why it had come on all of a sudden, you didn’t know, _wouldn’t_ know, but it was useless to fight something of a realm so dark.

You hardly heard the knock at the bathroom door. It didn’t even register until the arm around your neck suddenly disappeared and you fell forward, gasping for breath.

“(Name), are you alright?”

Fuck. Oh God. Your heart was pounding out of your chest and your tears were falling faster than ever. Never did you think you’d be so happy to hear the voice of your cousins husband, not that you disliked him.

“Yeah,” you spoke, unsurprised at how weak your voice sounded. “Just finishing up.”

“Okay. Just checking on you. The food is getting cold,” Minato continued.

“Thanks, Minato. I’ll be out there in a minute.”

“Sure.”

You heard his footsteps increase in distance. You took a deep breath to settle yourself before wiping at the tears in your eyes. A shaky sigh escaped your lips as you hastened to dress, not going to chance at a second look in the mirror.

Your eyes did travel to the blue rug though, and they narrowed as you noticed that the blood was still there. You swallowed hard before standing back up, knowing you had to look in the mirror in order to see if you were still bleeding yourself, though the stream had seemingly stopped. You steeled yourself over, preparing yourself for _anything_ as you used the sleeve of the sweater Naruto had given you to clean off the mirror.

“What the fuck?” you whispered, your brows furrowed in confusion and mortification. “How the fuck is it gone?”

The pain in your head was gone too, save for the hangover, but considering the fact you’d been literally _stabbed_ \- or it least it felt like you had - then it just didn’t make sense for there not to be a mark.

You were too scared to even blink. You were too scared to look at your phone. You were too scared to-

You jumped as your phone started vibrating in your hand. You let out a string of curse words before looking at the caller ID.  You let out a harsh breath of air and moved your trembling fingers to answer the call.

If it wasn’t Shisui… well…

_“(Name)?!”_

He sounded frantic. Jesus. Something must’ve happened with him too.

“Shisui,” you breathed out, still gazing at your temple in the mirror. “What the fuck is going on?”

 _“I don’t fucking know! I woke up and… and I-I saw your fucking body hanging from my ceiling fan! Your wrists were bleeding and your throat had been…”_ You heard him take a shaky breath. _“I need to see you. I need to see you to make sure that I’m not talking to that… that thing. When can you come over?”_

“Aren’t you afraid of Itachi and Sasuke finding out?” You asked, trying to lighten the mood by teasing him.

_“Not the fucking time, (Name). Something clearly happened over there too, considering you sound like your fucking windpipe has been crushed. We need to find out what to do.”_

You sighed, keeping your gaze down at the sink. “You’re right.”

You had work today. You could see him after that…

“How about you pick me up from work?”

He hesitated.

_“Okay. Just make sure to let me know as soon as something happens.”_

“Alright. Hey, I gotta go. My cousins are all eating without me, and I’m getting kinda creeped out just standing in here.”

“ _Bye.”_

It was rather abrupt, but that was just how he was. You hastily picked up the rug and tossed it in the hamper that sat next to the washer and dryer on the way to the kitchen.

“Hey Kushina,” you started, stretching for show. “I accidentally cut my foot on Naruto’s razor and I got it on the carpet. I put it in the hamper.”

Her narrowed gaze immediately went to her son. “Naruto! You always leave things out!”

He held up his hands in a defensive pose. “Hey! I’m human! I make mistakes!”

You laughed as you took a seat next to Minato and Naruto, ready to dig in to your meal. You talked with them about work, practice, and your friends. It wasn’t until you were helping her with the dishes did your phone go off signaling that you’d received a text message.

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[10:34 AM]_

_I am not done with you yet._

 

You struggled to fight the chill that had shot down your spine and the tears that pricked at your eyes. You knew it wasn’t him. He’d never say something like that without context.

Your fingers moved on their own, but you already found yourself regretting the response you were typing out. It was obvious you weren't going to get out of this, so it probably wasn't a good idea to provoke whatever was after you. But still, you couldn't stop yourself. 

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[10:35 AM]_ **

**_Fuck it, bring it on._ **


	2. Cadere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shisui in all black and riding a motorcycle just sounds like heaven to me.
> 
> Itachi makes his debut next chapter~

When Shisui showed up in front of the gym on his sports bike, you wanted to punch him. He was always preaching about being inconspicuous, but  _ never _ followed his own damn rules. It was a blessing that he wasn’t stupid enough to take his helmet off, but you knew for sure your mom would catch word of the fact that you’d gone off with a guy on a motorcycle after work, and not many of your friends had bikes. You doubted that she’d come to the conclusion that it was an Uchiha, but still, you mom wasn’t an idiot. She’d know it was a  _ boy,  _ at the very least. 

You lightly shoved him away from you as he placed the spare helmet on your head. “What the hell is this, Shisui?” You grumbled, adjusting it to your liking. He placed your belongings in his black backpack, took out a spare jacket for you and helped you in it. He placed the backpack around your shoulders. 

“I haven’t taken her out in a while due to the rain. Thought I’d take advantage of the tamer weather,” he explained, amusement evident in his tone. He got back on. 

“You’re gonna pay for this,” You grumbled, hopping  on behind him and wrapping your arms around his waist. 

“Probably. But you know how much I love to fuck with you,” he retorted, shifting slightly. 

“Almost as much as you love to fu-"

He revved the engine, no doubt an attempt to draw attention to the two of you and get you to shut your mouth. You flares at the back of his black helmet. “Fuck you.”

“You’re going to. You ready to leave, or do you want everyone inside to stare some more?” 

Underneath the helmet, your face reddened. “Just go.” 

“Yes, boss,” he responded with a teasing tone, adjusting your right thigh to straddle him a bit more. As soon as he was done subtly groping your leg, he took off. The low hum of the motorcycle turned into a roar as he sped off. You internally cussed him out because there was just  _ no  _ need to go so fast, but a part of you really enjoyed the feeling. 

His place was across town, so it took about half an hour before you arrived. He opened the door of the garage. He made sure you got off safely before getting off himself. Judging from the fact he took such a loud method of transportation, you were unsure how exactly he wanted you to go inside, so you waited until he’d placed his bike next to what you knew to be Sasuke’s car. When he turned around, you handed him the helmet and he thanked you. “So do you want me to go around to your bedroom window, or…” 

He laughed. You cocked a brow. 

“We’re gonna go in from the garage.” 

You were slightly taken aback. “Seriously? It looks like Sasuke’s home already. You really don’t care if he finds out?” 

The look that crossed his face was nothing short of mischievous. “He’s not gonna say anything.” He extended his hand towards you. You stared at it dumbly for a moment prior to taking it. It wasn’t like you hadn’t held his hand before, but this was… weird. 

“Why are you so sure?” You asked, not sure if you truly wanted to know. 

“I’ve got some shit on him that he doesn’t want Itachi knowing, and Itachi’s not back ‘til tonight so we don’t have anything to worry about.” He maneuvered around scattered tools and other various items, leading you to the door. He closed the garage door and then opened the door to the inside of his house. 

You stepped through to the kitchen, where Sasuke was stationed with papers lining the table along with two large textbooks. You immediately felt your face flush at the notion that Sasuke would now know that you and Shisui were involved in some way, and because you knew Sasuke, it was slightly embarrassing. He had no idea you even had an interest in Shisui, let alone that you were fucking him. You swallowed hard as you tried to hurry Shisui along. As he shut the door, Sasuke’s head rose. His bored expression changed as he interlocked gazes with you. You watched as his eyes trailed down to your linked hands. 

“H-Hey Sasuke,” you greeted, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly. 

“(Name).” 

Shisui looked much too smug at that moment. 

“You hungry?” He asked you. You rolled your eyes. He already knew the answer - of course you were hungry. 

“Yeah,” you murmured, doing your best not to strangle Shisui in front of the man that was in half of your honors classes. 

“How does pizza sound, Sasuke?” 

He was determined to make this awkward for you. You took your hand out of his, taking his backpack off of your back and fishing through it for your stuff. You kept yourself busy with that, but still, you felt Sasuke’s eyes on you. 

“Fine.” 

You handed Shisui his phone. “Cool. I’m gonna go order it now then.” 

You went to verbally protest, but he’d already walked down the hallway. Your face paled. Were you supposed to follow him or stay put? You’d never been out in the open when others were home, so you weren’t sure how to react. 

You went to stand when Sasuke clicked his tongue. 

“I can’t say I’m not surprised.” 

You would’ve been surprised too. You and Shisui didn’t interact much in public besides the occasional sparring match that he always won anyways. 

“I don’t blame you,” you spoke with a sigh. 

“I never pictured you with someone like him.” 

Your eyes flickered back in the direction that he’d sauntered off to. You heard his voice very faintly in a couple of rooms over. 

“We aren’t technically…  _ together. _ ” 

It seemed as if something connected in his mind, and he nodded as he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. “That makes more sense.” 

You wondered what he meant. Shisui was a genius in every sense of the word, one of the best fighters in the country (at least in his division), and had broken numerous records in his sport. He could be a bit obnoxious and crude, but to be fair, so could you. You didn’t necessarily show that part of you to… well, now that you really thought about it, you only showed it to him. Unless you were beyond a safe level of intoxicated, you were pretty high strung around people. Naruto and your family were excluded from that too though. 

“You’re not gonna tell anyone, right?” You asked a little nervously. If anyone found out you were with an Uchiha so intimately, especially  _ Shisui _ , you’d be seriously dead. You’d be shunned, probably disowned. There would really be no coming back from it. 

But the same could be said for Shisui, so you really hoped Sasuke would keep this to himself. 

“No.” 

After observing him intently for a few seconds, you came to the conclusion that he wasn’t lying. 

You wondered what Shisui was holding over his head to make him so compliant. 

“Thanks, Sasuke. I’ll have to do you a solid for this.” 

You watched as a smirk took his features for a split second, and then it was gone. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

You heard Shisui call your name from the back of the house so you dismissed yourself with a small “see you later”. Shisui seemed to have taken delight in seeing you squirm, as he usually did, so you were assuming he’d have you all eat together should Itachi not be home. A small sigh slipped through your lips as you made your way through the familiar hallway. 

When you stepped through his room, he was pulling his hoodie over his head. You watched as his shirt lifted up past his abdomen and closed the door behind you. “You’re a dick, you know,” you spoke as you shirked off his jacket. He turned to you and rolled up his sleeves, leaning against his mattress.

“Could’ve been worse.” 

“I could’ve just gone through the window,” you responded as you made your way over to him. He immediately wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you flush into him, leaving a bit of distance to look up at you. 

“If you did that then I wouldn’t have seen that cute nervous look on your face. Besides, we’re going to be talking. Wouldn’t it be weird if he walked by and heard two voices when he only saw one person come in?” You sighed and he started toying with the hem of your work shirt. 

“Yeah… he’d definitely be able to recognize my voice, too.” He leaned into you, burying his nose into the crook of your neck and inhaling. You could feel him physically relax, and as he deflated, you remembered the true reason you were here. 

He must’ve been really shook after seeing your… body hanging from the ceiling fan. 

You tilted your head back a bit, not enough to disturb him as he breathed you in, and inspected the fan in question. It looked no different than it usually did, which brought a sick feeling to your stomach. 

“What are we gonna do, Shisui?” You asked, wrapping your arms around his neck. “This doesn’t look good for us. I don’t remember either of us taking any hallucinogens yesterday.” 

“We didn’t.” His lips brushed against your skin, sending a shiver down your spine. “I took a drug test just in case our drinks were spiked and nothing showed up. As far as I know, drugs that can cause side effects similar to this wouldn’t exit our system in less than a day. I want you to take one too to be sure.” 

You sighed. You didn’t really want to take one. As far as you knew though, you  _ should _ be clean. It’s been awhile since you’d taken anything like that. 

“I’ll take one. I’m pretty sure my drinks weren’t spiked though.” 

“I don’t think so either. I had a pretty close eye on you all night.” Your face slightly flushed at his admission. 

“Thanks,” you murmured, gnawing on your bottom lip. 

He removed his face from your neck and looked up at your face. “Kiss me.” You cocked your brow. 

“We’re in a situation like this and you want me to kiss you?”

“I saw your dead body hanging limp from the goddamn ceiling fan. Just kiss me.” 

You let out a half hearted snort before you leaned down and pressed your lips against his. You pulled back, unable to focus. “We should really talk about this. What it is, what we-“

“How do you want it tonight, (Name)?” He asked, interrupting you as he threaded a hand through your hair. “Do you want me to be gentle?” Your breath hitched as he grabbed a fistful of it and lightly tugged. “Or do you want me to fuck you how I did last time?"

“Why are you avoiding the subject, Shisui?” He shifted so that he was sitting on the bed now, and he took you with him, slipping his hands into the back pockets of your jeans. You allowed yourself to sit in his lap. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he spoke, averting his eyes momentarily. “This… it’s honestly fucked me up. I keep remembering how I found my father after my mom died, and I just-“ 

Your lips cut him short. That was all you needed to hear. You had only been sleeping with Shisui for a few months, but if you knew anything at all about him, you knew that his parents deaths had affected him greatly. His father had committed suicide years after his mother’s death and he’d walked in and saw the  _ aftermath.  _ You’d remembered the news headlines - you were only in year 7 at that time, but the news had still left you shocked and hollow.

And Shisui was still understandably raw. 

He kissed you slowly, running his hands over the sides of your body. 

It was times like these that you wondered how he expected you not to fall in love with him. His fingers danced over the expanse of your back, lifting your shirt halfway. You broke from him and he guided you to the bed, ensuring that your head lay on his pillow as he crawled over you. “Have you ever considered-“ His lips cut you off, moving slowly against your own. He hadn’t devoured you yet - not like he usually did, with fervent urgent need. Instead he kissed you with an open mouth, but left his tongue behind his teeth. Your heart fluttered at the intimacy of it. “Counseling..?” 

His fingers should’ve curled around your throat by now. You should be gasping at the ministrations of his tongue at your breasts, dizzied by his overwhelming and all consuming lust for you. 

“I don’t believe in that shit,” he breathed into your lips, pressing a chaste kiss onto them as he looked down at you. 

He was steady. Still as confident as ever, he leaned back down and kissed you deeply. He brought a hand to the side of your face and cupped it gently, rubbing his thumb against your cheekbone. 

You gasped in a mixture of surprise and pain. He immediately broke from you. 

His eyes opened wide as he gazed down at your face. His eyes flickered back and forth between your face and his hand in a panic. “What the fuck…” 

Blood. 

Fresh blood dripped from his fingers and down his wrist. He stared at you, dumbfounded. 

Struck by fear due to the warm liquid now running from your temple and cheek, tears began to fall from your eyes without prior warning. “S-Shisui…” 

“S-stay there, okay? I’m gonna get a towel.” He climbed off of you, going to stand when you grabbed at his wrist. 

He turned around to reassure you.

Your face was covered in blood. A rope was tied around your neck. Your face was impossibly pale. Your eyes rolled back in your head. 

“Fuck!” He yelled, jumping off the bed and tumbling to the floor clumsily. “Fuckin’ hell!” He breathed as he scooted back. He closed his eyes tight before looking back up at you. 

“What the hell is going on?” You asked, your face pale but otherwise normal besides the tears. Your voice was trembling. 

Shisui clutched at his chest, breathing hard. “Jesus Christ,” he huffed as he went to a stand. “This shit is getting ridiculous…” 

He stood and walked over to you cautiously. The previously stainless, white pillowcase had been tainted red. He got closer to you, inspecting your temple and your cheekbone, sighing in relief and confusion when he found nothing. 

The eye contact the two of you exchanged next conveyed more than either of you could say. He understood immediately what you were implying. With a racing heart, he hesitantly reached out to you to wipe your tears. 

“Demons aren’t real, (Name).” 

Your furrowed brows only creased even more. “How can you say that after all this? This is clearly not something from our world, Shisui,” you asserted, your voice still wavering. 

He wiped the tears that were still actively falling and placed a kiss on your lips. “Because God isn’t real. And if God isn’t real, demons aren’t real either.” 

You sighed, removing his hands from your face and wiping your own eyes. “It’s the best explanation we have and-“

“Yeah, I think you really need to take that drug test (Name).” 

“Why did you jump back from me like that? You saw something, didn’t you?” 

Shisui turned his head to the side, making it more difficult to read his already complex expression. “Whether I did or not doesn’t change things.” 

“Please, Shisui. This is getting worse every fucking time. We don’t know how many times a day this shit will happen either. One of us is gonna end up dead. He  _ told _ me he wanted us to die!” 

“How did  _ he  _ tell you that (Name)?!” He asked, raising his voice a fraction in frustration. 

“By fucking text message! You know what I mean! And he had a knife to my head! He was choking me! I’m not fucking crazy Shisui, this is actually  _ happening  _ to me! Just like all that shit is happening with you.” 

Fuck. He didn’t want to believe it. He wanted to believe  _ anything  _ but that. But hearing what you’d already been through sent a chill down his spine. If what you were saying was true, then… then there had to be  _ something  _ terrorizing you. Whether or not it was a demon… he didn’t know. 

“What would you have me do, (Name)?” He asked, lowering his voice again. He ran his hands through his hair. 

“Let’s  go to a priest. There’s a church by my house that I can go to. You have that one a few blocks over. You can go there while I go to the one by my house and we can go from there.” 

You had no idea how much you were asking of him. He’d skipped his own fathers funeral because it had been in a church. He hadn’t stepped foot in a church in far too long, and he hadn’t expected to need to ever again. He had far too many emotions circulating around as it was, and going to a church would only make it far worse. 

“Fine,” he relented, unable to deny your request after truly taking in the fear that you carried in your body language. “I’ll do it.” He sighed, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry for yelling. I just really  _ don’t  _ like churches.” 

“It’s okay,” you spoke after a few silent moments. 

You watched the internal conflict play in his eyes. You momentarily wondered if you were asking too much of him, but you reconsidered that almost immediately. 

You were sure it was an unholy being. You were  _ positive.  _ You weren’t necessarily religious yourself, you were actually rather agnostic, but there were so many signs that this was demonic in nature. It made the hair prick on the back of your neck and your breath hitch in your throat. It was terrifying in every sense of the word, and fuck did you want to do anything but this. 

You gripped his strong jaw in your hand and forced him to look at you. His suffering wasn’t something that he was willing to share with you, but the least you could do was give him the option. “I’m with you, Shisui.” 

“You’ll regret that,” he whispered back. “You really will.” 

“No more than I’ll regret this,” you responded with a gentle smirk, leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips. 

It was times like these where he wondered how you expected him not to fall in love with you.   
  


**~~~~~~**

  
Shisui stood before the massive doors of the church, an massive lump in his throat.   
  
The black hood that had been placed over his still-soaked hair cascaded clumsily down his shoulders. The large cross placed above the entrance of the gigantic, gold doors gleamed at him almost leeringly. He could see his reflection on it illuminated by the street lights behind him. He took a shaky inhale, closing his eyes momentarily as he breathed.   
  
"Fuck," he sighed, taking a hesitant step forward.  
  
He hadn't stepped foot inside of a church in sixteen years. After his mother died, he had abandoned all semblance of religion, left it behind. The only thing he had faith in now was himself. He was his own savior, he'd been the one to pull himself out of the depths of crippling, crushing depression. There was no God, as far as he was concerned. Not even when that Holy name came tumbling from your perfectly pursed lips did he believe. He was his own God, and judging by how you worshipped him, he was yours too.  
  
Consumed by thought, he missed the blur of absolute darkness reflected by the polished cross. It was gone in a flash, but as he willed himself to enter, he felt the flesh on his arms raise with bumps. He figured he'd been out in the cold rain for far too long. He tried to convince himself of that, though it was a sensation that he was starting to associate with...  
  
The door was impossibly heavy, and he bitterly chided the architect for even thinking about making a door so heavy that children and elderly wouldn't be able to lift it. He disregarded that they likely had greeters, because he was too deep in his thought process to cut anyone associated with organized religion any slack.  
  
As expected, nearly every seat was full. Sunday morning mass was a popular one, he didn't need to be a churchgoer to know that. A few heads turned, and he ignored the looks he gathered when he sauntered over to one of the empty seats in the very last row. He kept his hands in his soaked, black hoodie and his eyes on the preacher. As the sound of scripture hit his ears, he found himself trying to inconspicuously massage his now aching temples. As sourly as he viewed religion, he didn't want to blatantly offend those in attendance.   
  
He tried his best to be attentive, but only fifteen minutes had passed since he'd entered, and his head was pounding. He could feel his pulse in his temples. He was trembling thoroughly, and he had grit his teeth in order to stem any visible reaction to the pain.   
  
Fuck you for suggesting he do this. You were doing it yourself at a church on your side of town, but still, the idea that he didn't know what was going on with you set him on edge, and considering how negatively being here was affecting him, he couldn't help but wish you - or honestly - _anyone_ was there with him.   
  
You were insistent that whatever had been pestering the two of you was not an earthly being, nor was it a good presence by any means. It had come as a shock to him, because he was thoroughly atheist due to all he'd seen. But you were convinced that if there were demons, there had to be something to combat those demons. That was why he was here.   
  
He cared for you. He always had; despite the bad blood between your families, he'd had a soft spot for you from the very beginning. If things weren't so complicated, he would've dedicated his entire life to you without any hesitance; but unfortunately, you were a Senju, and it could never work. At least, not the way he wanted it to. So he settled for pretending to be your acquaintance in public, and your God during the moments where you could spend them together in solitude.   
  
You didn't know how he felt. You'd never know - if he could help it, that is. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep it a secret from you, especially with what was going on now. Shisui had adored you from the very first day he set eyes on you. It was just his shitty luck that he would fall for you, the daughter of Senju Tsunade, of all people. It was an unfair twist of fate.   
  
Shisui nearly jumped out of his skin as a gentle hand settled upon his damp shoulder. He could only guess how ridiculous he looked to these people - dressed casually, soaking wet, and looking as if he wanted to be anywhere but there.  
  
His heart leapt into his throat as he looked up at the person who'd dared to touch him.   
  
His mother's face stared back at him. She was in a bright pink dress and a black pea coat sat on her shoulders. Shisui recoiled as if he'd been struck, abruptly standing and taking a step back from the woman.   
  
"Who are you?"   
  
The curse words that nearly forced their way out fell short, thankfully, but Shisui was reeling. Her high cheekbones, rose-bud lips plastered in a tasteful red color, and her dark eyes...   
  
That was his mother.   
  
"I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to startle you!" She apologized, a mirthful laugh escaping her lips. "I just wanted to welcome you! I haven't seen you here before."   
  
Shisui wanted to puke.   
  
His mother's face, body, voice... What was going on? She was dead. He'd watched her die. He'd seen everything.   
  
"I-I don't... I'm not..." His ringtone started, snapping his attention away from the woman who looked and sounded like his mother. He reached into his pocket and answered it without hesitation. "P-Please excuse me for a moment."  
  
"(Name)!" He called, heart racing, fingers trembling.  
  
" _Shisui, something really fucking weird is going on_." Your voice was low, as if you were trying your best to be quiet.  
  
"Y-yeah... What's happening?" He looked back at the woman.  
  
" _You're sitting two seats away from me."_ __  
  
His heart dropped. "What do you mean?"  
  
" _I literally see you. You're wearing a black hoodie and dark blue jeans."_ __  
  
Shisui closed his eyes, trying to quell the panic that was rising within him. "Don't talk to him, (Name)."  
  
" _He won't even look at me."_   
  
"Don't try to get him to!" He hissed, maneuvering towards the door and going the opposite direction of the woman in the pink dress. "For fucks sake. Just wait there. I'm coming."   
  
Someone stepped in front of him, and just when he looked up to ask the person to __please move out of his goddamn way , he faltered.   
  
"D-dad?" Tears pricked at his eyes at the sight of his fathers soft face. There was no blood, no bullet would marring his perfect visage.   


No noose.    
It was a lie. It was a fucking lie. He had seen it himself.    
  
"Wh-what? Sorry, I just came to introduce myself," he spoke sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "My wife was speaking with you earlier. I-"   
  
"No," Shisui protested, his stomach churning and his head pounding harder than ever before. "I can't. I can't do this. I'm sorry."    
  
" _ Shisui who are you talking to _ ?"    
  
"F-Fuck, I'm sorry (Name), I'm on my way. Please don't talk to him." He sidestepped the taller male and wrenched the door open, taking a looking back over his shoulder as he took the first step out.    
  
He blinked several times. "Wh-what the..."    
  
The man that he had talked to - his hair had turned into a bright red. His wife approached him, two sizes too large to be his mother and with hair the color of a sunflower. He gulped hard and pushed himself to a sprint, fumbling down the stairs and nearly slipping as he reached his car door.   
  
"(Name)," he called, almost panting. "Are you still with me?"    
  
" _ Yeah..." _ Your voice had gone even softer. " _ This service is supposed to be a confessional."  _ __  
  
"Don't," he breathed. "Just don't." He opened his car door, fumbled with his keys, and started his car. He took off without another look at the church, ignoring the uneasy feeling that had settled in his gut.    
  
" _ I'm going to go to the bathroom. _ " Your voice was impossibly low, and it made his already racing adrenaline pump even faster.   
  
"Okay," he responded, gripping the wheel impossibly tight. "Don't even look at anyone. Seriously. Whatever is going on is-"   
  
" __ He's following me !"   
  
He felt a second wave of panic crash into him hard. You couldn’t do this alone, you couldn’t do it, you couldn’t die you-

“Just fucking leave! Just go! Leave the church!” 

He heard you start panting and the sound of shuffling from the speaker. He’d assumed you started running. 

He sped up, leaving the church behind along with all thoughts that weren’t of you. 

“Are you okay? (Name) answer me!” 

_ “I’m in the bathroom now,”  _ you explained, “ _ There are other women in here. He turned around once he saw the women gathered outside the door.”   _ You took a breath and he knew you were trembling due to the uneven way you spoke.  _ “I’m going to climb out the window. I’m not gonna chance the front door.”  _

“If he’s not following you just go out the door,” he responded. “It’s not safe to-“

_ “Shut  _ **_up,_ ** _ Shisui! I’m going out the window! You’d better fucking drive fast because I’m going to run home as fast as I can when I get out of here!”  _

“This is why we should’ve gone together, (Name)!”

“ _ What, and announce to the entire world we’re fucking? No, Shisui! It would’ve been way too suspicious.”  _ He heard you grunt and metal scrape against cement. “ _ They’re looking at me like I’m crazy.” _

“Just get out of there, (Name). I’m gonna be at your house in twenty,” he explained, biting at his lip. You were silent for almost an entire minute before he called your name, starting to get nervous. 

_ “I’m out,”  _ you responded as he cut someone off.  _ “I’m gonna start on my way home. Stay on the phone with me, okay?”  _

“I wouldn’t have let you hang up anyways.” 

At the sound of your light laugh, he took a deep inhale, starting to relax. 

_ “Well that was pointless,”  _ you sighed into the speaker. 

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I didn’t get to the priest either.” 

Something told Shisui he had his answer anyways though. And you probably knew too, judging by how silent you’d gotten. Still, it honestly procured more questions than it did answers. There was a weight that had settled in Shisui’s shoulders from the moment this all began that only got heavier with the conclusion he’d just come to. 

“ _ I think we have our answer.”  _

He knew you’d get it. 

There was no other reason for it to be so difficult to sit through a simple sermon or get to a priest. Especially when the two of you were faced with oppression like that - there was just no other answer. 

He almost wanted to go back to the night previous where the two of you had pizza with Sasuke and then watched a few episodes of the most ridiculous TV show. You and Sasuke had talked about school and sports, and Shisui had taken you back to your place before Itachi’d gotten home. It was the first time you actually hadn’t slept together during your  _ hangouts _ .

It had seemed to simple, so  _ fun.  _ He’d been able to compartmentalize his complex emotions and just enjoy the time with you and his cousins. 

Now everything was rushing back, with the addition of the feelings that the knowledge of a demon being after the two of you had shuffled up. 

You made light conversation until he pulled up to your house, where you were sitting underneath the porch covering. You ran out to him, hastily getting in the car (despite the tinted windows, you wanted to be safe) and instructing him to drive off. 

You immediately let go of a breath you’d been holding for far too long. You sat in silence with him as he drove - where, you didn’t know - but you didn’t break the silence to ask. When he pulled into a fast food drive through line, you snorted. He kept his gaze forward but gave you a weak smile.

“Trauma makes me hungry. Can’t you tell?” 

“Shit, me too then. Get me a burger.” 

He chuckled softly. 

You couldn’t help but realize he was looking everywhere but at you. 

“You okay?” You asked, reaching for his hand. 

“Far fucking from it,” he reluctantly admitted, a sigh coming from his lips. You waited for him to continue. You watched as he grit his teeth and ground them. “That piece of shit made me see my parents.” 

You let out a breath, grasped his hand tighter, and pressed your head against the leather headrest. 

This was a difficult situation to navigate. He was so raw about his parents, and it looked like this demon was taking advantage of that. 

“I know what you’re thinking,” he hummed. “But it might not be a demon. There are other oppressive supernatural forces that supposedly exist. We’ll have to do our homework.” He finally laced his fingers with yours. “And I should probably start praying for forgiveness.” 

You went to respond, but he rolled his rain-stained window down to start ordering. You took the opportunity to pull your phone from your pocket and your breath was immediately stolen by the sight of Shisui’s text notification. 

_ Uchiha Shisui _

_ [11:21 AM] _

_ I will get you.  _

_ Uchiha Shisui  _

_ [11:21 AM] _

_ You cannot run.  _

_ Uchiha Shisui _

_ [11:21 AM] _

_He dies with you._

_ Uchiha Shisui _

_ [11:22 AM] _

.  
_._  
_H͍̻͈̙̮̼̲͉̊̑͗̀̽̀͂̚͢e̸͍̺͉͔̘̟̳̼̓̉̐͛̋͘ c̸̼͙̟͕͈͇̎̎͑͒͂̔͛̈́̈́a̘̬͇͎͍̤̤̪͌͋͋̆́̈́̐̔n̸̛̙̥͖͍̦̫̂̉̔͂̏̄̄̀͟͡ṇ̵͙̠̯̯͙̍̀̔̉͌͛̑̇͡ơ̸̘̞̭̖̓̀̅͋̚͟ͅt͕̖͔̰̺̩͐̿͂̓̂̈́̉͋͗̚ s̸͚̻̲̻̬͙̠͔̹͙̈͐̌͊̓̈̎̃͘͞a̷̧̼̙̤̤̓͌̆͋͌̄̌̚͡v̷̨͈̪̦͎̜͈͍̤̆͑͆̄́̚͟ë̸̬͔͈͚̰́̈͊̈́͘̕͠ y̨̨̛̲͚̦̠̌̊͌̓͗̄̂͋̚͟ͅő̢̢͎͎͙̥̫̘͕͒͛̿̾̌̒̕͝͠u̘͍͇͇̬̦̜̒̒͌̃̅̅̒̍̔͜ͅ_  
.  
.

 

When Shisui looked back over at you, your glassy eyes told him all he needed to know. He gently plucked your phone from your other hand, his eyes scanning the messages. He scoffed bitterly, a protective feeling for you overcoming rationally. 

“Yeah right,” he spoke as he rolled his eyes, locking your phone and placing it in a cup holder. He looked over at you, noticing you were thoroughly shaken. “Hey,” he spoke, squeezing your hand as he moved to the next window. You looked up, doing your best to stave off the tears. 

“I’m with you.”

Those three words sent a sharp pain through your chest. 

“You’ll regret saying that.” 

“Yeah? Just like you regret kissing me, right?” 

His words brought a reluctant smile to your face. 

“I don’t regret kissing you. I never will.” He was silent for a moment, and the silence only continued as he grabbed your drinks and food. He took off after making sure the order was right.You couldn’t help but stare at him admiringly. “I’ll never regret any of this,” you whispered underneath your breath. 

His eyes closed softly for a second, but he opened them almost instantaneously. 

“(Name), you’re seriously gonna make me soft if you keep talking like that.” 

You laughed. 

And so did he. 

You were both grateful to be able to ignore the looming threat of the situation ahead, if only for a little while. 


	3. Contribulo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sloooooow development.  
> I’m also bad at committing to word counts.  
> Shisui is so versatile. I appreciate him.  
> In case you’re wondering what the inspiration was for this piece, I’ve been struggling with some things similar to Shisui lately. He’s my muse, so this kinda just happened.

He felt terrible doing it, but he ignored most of your messages and all of your calls for four days.

It had been so long since he felt pain like this. Shisui had fallen into numbness a long time ago - years in fact. He chased the momentary euphoria that sex gave him like it was a drug, since he’d long since dumped drugs themselves as a whole. The temptation to relapse was always there though, especially when you weren’t with him to distract him. With everything that was going on, with the heightened stress and the tumultuous emotions he was feeling, he found himself sitting on the porch stairs at 3 in the morning with a cigarette between his fingers.

It wasn’t very satisfying.

Even still, he was determined to finish it in its entirety. He'd been working far too many hours on barely any sleep, worrying about you and about himself, trying to keep his imminent breakdown at bay. It was too much.   
  
He didn't want to leave you alone during such a confusing, terrifying time, so he'd call to check in with you at the end of each night, but that was the extent of your contact for the past few days. They'd passed by almost unbearably slowly - in fact, it was going so slowly that it made him physically sick. He could probably also attribute that to the fact that his appetite had dropped significantly while his workout routine had increased in an effort to rid himself of all the stress.   
  
Itachi kept asking him questions. Shisui kept fighting the urge to move out of his own fucking house due to his badgering, but he knew it wasn't with ill intentions. Shisui could afford living on his own, but he knew his cousins wouldn't let him at this point. They were too concerned with his well being to allow him to just leave like that. They'd definitely know something was up if he just decided to move abruptly.   
  
It was way too obvious that something was off. Shisui typically had a ravenous appetite, but he was eating lighter than a bird. He wasn't sleeping - instead he was staring at the ceiling fan like it was going to change up in less than a second. It was sickening. When he closed his eyes he kept seeing your face, his father's face, his mom. All he wanted was for it to stop. His nerves were shot. His anxiety was at an all time high.   
  
“Damn, dad,” he breathed, smoke curling around his facial structure as he spoke. “I’d say it’s your fault I’m like this, but I think I would’ve ended up this way anyways.” He took another drag. “If there’s really an afterlife, you and mom… you’re definitely in heaven.” Shisui craned his neck to get a good look at the twinkling stars. “I don’t think I’ll get a chance to see you again,” he said lowly, his voice breaking as he did so.

His mind traveled back to the past few days and what had unfolded. It had been relatively quiet besides a few texts and more nightmares for you, and every time he closed his eyes to sleep he’d see you hanging from the fan. He’d be lying if he said that it didn’t thoroughly unnerve him, but he could handle this - to a point. Although if the oppression got as bad as it was before, he was pretty sure he’d snap in two.

“I don’t know if you can see what’s going on, but at least try… to put in a good word for me?” He sighed, closing his eyes and clenching his fist. The sting of his knuckles reminded him that he’d lost control earlier. “And maybe (Name) too. I know she’s a Senju, but…”

The sound of the screen door opening alerted him to someone else’s presence.

“You have practice early tomorrow morning.”

Shisui sighed at the sound of Itachi’s voice.

“Yeah.”

He wondered how much he heard.

“You’re not yourself lately.”

Shisui’s eyes narrowed at Itachi’s attire, or lack thereof. “Dude, go back inside. It’s freezing out here.”

Itachi closed the door behind him as he stepped out into the chilly night, shirt be damned. Something was clearly bothering Shisui thoroughly enough for him to get knocked off his clean streak. He was tired of him dodging the subject, and he finally had a chance to corner him.

“I’ll go inside when you do,” Itachi responded, sitting next to his cousin who was bundled up in warm clothing. Shisui clicked his tongue and put the cigarette out on the cement.

“Let’s go in then,” Shisui spoke, unwilling to participate in the conversation he knew was coming. Itachi grabbed his arm as Shisui went to stand.

“We can go inside after you answer a few questions.” Itachi’s voice was stern and unwavering, displaying just how serious he was about this. Shisui groaned, relaxing once more and reaching into his pocket to grab his pack of cigarettes.

“Just hurry up and ask,” Shisui grumbled, placing the end between his teeth. “I’m getting hella tired.”

“Why haven’t you been sleeping?”

Perceptive little shit. Probably noticed the bags under his eyes.

“Because for once in my fucking life, my dreams are worse than reality.”

It wasn’t an entirely unexpected answer, but hearing it actually come from his unnaturally resilient cousin set Itachi on edge.

“Care to elaborate?” Itachi waved some smoke from his face.

“If I knew how to, I’d tell you. Honestly I have no clue what’s going on. All I know is that I’m being forced to work through seeing my mom take her last breath and watching my dad's bloody body swing from a-“

“I understand,” Itachi interrupted, not wanting to force Shisui to divulge too much information and make him uncomfortable. “I think you may be suffering through some post traumatic stress symptoms. It would be good for you to try some therapy.”

“Why do you people keep fucking _telling_ me that…” Shisui grumbled underneath his breath. Itachi had a feeling that he wasn’t meant to have heard it. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m good. Last thing I need to do is tell a random person my problems.”

He wasn’t sure a therapist could help him with his problems anyways. Sure they might be able to help him with his sex addiction, depression, intrusive thoughts of suicide, apathy, drug dependency, and maybe even with his conflicting feelings for you, but they couldn’t help what was going on _outside_ of his head. Whatever that thing was that was terrorizing him and you whether or not you were sleeping… it wasn’t going to be stopped by a therapist.

“Alright. Then at least confide in someone trustworthy,” Itachi continued, the flesh on his arms beginning to raise from the cold air. “What is Senju (Name) to you?”

Shisui nearly choked on smoke. “What do you mean?”

Itachi allowed a shallow breath to escape his lips. His eyes followed the tuft of fog that it became due to the chill. “You hardly ever took her eyes off of her at her birthday celebration, likely even before that; but now you’re completely avoiding her at practice. You hardly look at her. I’m having trouble understanding since it looked like the two of you enjoyed one another.”

There was no hidden malice in his voice. He was genuinely curious. It made Shisui question how much prejudice the previous generation successfully passed down to the current generation. Sasuke and himself were currently involved with individuals with Senju blood and Itachi seemed completely unaffected with the thought. Well, with Shisui’s situation at least. Shisui knew Itachi was none the wiser of his little brothers relations.

“Itachi, what do you want me to say?”

“I _expect_ you to tell me the truth. Not what you _perceive_ to be the truth; I expect the pure, unadulterated _truth.”_

That struck Shisui hard. What was the truth, anyway? Was it what he was trying so hard to deny? Was it what he had been convincing himself? Should he keep it simple..?

“We’re sleeping together.”

This came out slowly, and Itachi could tell he was choosing his words very carefully. That wasn’t sufficient enough of an answer though.

“And?”

“And what? We’re fucking, Itachi. Nothing else, no strings attached.”

“You really have the time for that, with all that you do?” Itachi’s brow was quirked.

“You think I wouldn’t _find_ time for that?”

Itachi scoffed lightly. “She’s five years your junior.”

“Is this really from the guy who dated his college professor?”

“That’s completely different. Maturity levels are a huge factor in relationships.”

“She’s plenty mature.”

“I’m not so sure either of you are.” Shisui looked towards his cousin with a skeptical expression.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Her age makes her naive. She’ll fail to see how poorly you cope with any semblance of emotion, and you won’t notice how thoroughly your emotionally charged actions affect her until it’s too late.”

Shisui scowled and flicked the cigarette butt from his fingers. “We’re fucking, Itachi. We’re not together.”

“You can’t run from everything, Shisui. If anything will catch up to you, it will be this.”

“Are you insinuating that I have feelings for her?”

The smirk that graced Itachi’s face next only served to annoy him.

“You cheeky shit,” Shisui groaned while rolling his eyes. He shoved Itachi’s bare shoulder, realizing how cold it was to touch. “I don’t like her like that. Anyways, let’s go inside. You’re fucking freezing.”

Shisui rose his gaze to the sidewalk, his breath catching in his throat as his eyes settled on a dark figure right in front of the driveway.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath. “Itachi,” he started, raising his voice a bit in the beginning of panic. “Let’s go inside. Seriously.”

Shisui hurried to a stand, gripping Itachi’s bicep and jerking him up. “Shisui-“

“No. We need to get inside _now_.” Itachi almost protested, but the look in Shisui’s eye convinced him to go along with it. He was cold, after all.

“Alright.”

Shisui quickly wrenched the screen door open and shoved Itachi inside. He turned to the sidewalk again, only to gasp as the figure had started walking towards them. Shisui took hasty steps backwards, his lighter falling from his pocket as he hurried inside. He slammed the screen door loudly, his labored breathing thoroughly alarming Itachi.

“What’s going on, Shisui?”

Shisui didn’t respond, but he gasped in surprise at something Itachi couldn’t see.

“That’s…”

Shisui jerked back as the dark figure broke into a sprint across their driveway. “Ah, fuck!” He nearly screamed, flicking on the lock. He flung the large door shut, locking the locks and dead bolting it shut.

Itachi jumped at the large _bang!_ that sounded next. He looked at Shisui questioningly as his older cousin moved to position himself in front of him. “What’s going on?!” Itachi demanded, gripping the sleeve of Shisui’s sweater.

“I’m assuming you didn’t see that guy..?”

Itachi’s brows furrowed. “No.”

“But you _heard_ that, right?”

“Yes, but-“

“I need to call (Name).”

“Call the _police,_ Shisui, not (Name).”

“Did you forget that I’m a fucking officer myself or what? This is not something that the police is gonna help with, dude. I would know. Stay behind of me.”

Itachi put his protests to rest, and he followed Shisui’s instructions as they made their way to his room. It was eerily silent now, something that made Shisui’s hair stand on end. When they finally made it into his room, he lunged for his phone and immediately dialed your number.

It took you two calls to answer.

“(Name)!”

_“S-Shisui…”_

“Are you alright?” You were panting hard, your voice quivering as you said his name.

 _“I-I…”_ Your voice broke as you started to sob. “ _I w-woke up and I was…_ ” you took a steadying breath. “ _There was a rope, and I was…”_  You blubbered a bit before you continued. “ _T-the fan..!”_

You didn’t need to be coherent for him to understand.

Shisui fell to his knees, grabbing a fistful of his hair as he grit his teeth.

“(Name), I’m coming to get you.”

_“B-But-“_

“No! It’s trying to _kill_ you!” He heard you sob harder at his words. “I’m coming to get you _now_. Wake your mom up and have her wait with you.”

“ _I-I can’t… her b-boyfriend is here and-"_

“(Name), for the love of fucking…” Shisui closed his eyes and took a few grounding breaths. Snapping at you would do nothing beneficial right now, and you were clearly traumatized. “Please just do this. Please. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

You let out a pitiful gasp. “ _I’m s-sorry but I don’t want to bring my mom into this… c-can we just stay on the phone?”_

Shisui did his best to gather himself and finally brought himself to a stand, going to his dresser and pocketing his keys. “Okay,” he breathed. “Okay. Just do _not_ hang up. If this call drops I’m going to assume the worst, and I _will_ call your mom  - as many times as I have to in order to wake her up.”

Shisui looked to Itachi, who seemed thoroughly confused and extremely worried. Shisui sighed, pressing the mute button. “I really fuckin’ hate to say this, but we need to wake up Sasuke. I can explain on the way to (Name)’s house.”

Shisui then tossed one of his shirts over at his cousin who caught it listlessly. Itachi asked no questions as they both cautiously walked over to Sasuke's door, opening it without trouble.   
  
As Shisui walked over to the bed, he almost regretted having to wake him up. He looked peaceful, a direct contrast to his usual sour demeanor.   
  
" _Shisui, are you still there?_ " Your voice was hitching with panic. He took himself off of mute.   
  
"Yes, but don't be angry with me, okay? I have to bring Sasuke and Itachi." He heard you sigh.   
  
"... _Okay_ ." Your voice sounded uncharacteristically meek.   
  
Shisui shook Sasuke's shoulder roughly. His dark eyes immediately opened, zeroing in on Shisui and then his older brother. He noticed their nervous energy almost instantaneously.   
  
"What's going on?" Sasuke's groggy voice started as he went to sit up.   
  
"Put on a shirt. I'll explain in the car."     
  
Sasuke sighed, but offered no rebuttal. He followed Shisui's instructions without question, just as Itachi had. As the boys went to move out of the room, Shisui looked back at the two younger men behind him. "Just stay behind me," Shisui spoke, no sign of hesitance in his voice.   
  
" _Please hurry_ ."   
  
His chest ached as he heard how small your voice was.   
  
"I'm trying. Where's the rope?"   
  
" _It's... still on the fan_ ."   
  
"Shit..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his expression was overcome by a grimness that looked out of place on his visage. Shisui took his keys from the countertop and the switchblade that he kept in the nearest kitchen cabinet and carefully walked towards the garage door. He kept shooting looks back over his shoulder to ensure that Sasuke and Itachi were still behind him, and once he reached the garage door, he scanned the room before entering.   
  
"Is your car in the driveway, Itachi?"   
  
"Yes, but it's behind Sasuke's car."   
  
A sigh of relief escaped his lips. "Good." He pressed the phone between his shoulder and his ear, unlocking his car and instructed the other two to get in before he did himself. Once their doors were shut he called your name, knowing you were still there due to your shaky breathing.   
  
"(Name), I'm sorry that I-"   
  
" _Please, Shisui, just come here. Please. We can talk later. I just need you to come get me_ ."   
  
"Okay," he breathed, slightly relieved. He slid into the seat. "I'm coming now."   
  
He started the car as soon as he settled in, placing you on speakerphone until his phone connected to the car's bluetooth. He then pressed the button to lift the garage door and backed out as soon as he had enough space. As he exited, he pressed it again to close it while also searching for the figure from before. When he didn't find it, his heart began to thrum faster, worrying that if it wasn't with him, then it would be with you.   
  
"Hey," he started. "I'm on my way. Give me twenty minutes."   
  
" _Okay_ ."   
  
His phone had connected.   
  
Shisui watched their reactions to your panicked, hoarse voice in the rear view mirror. Itachi's brows rose a bit in shock, hearing the aftermath of your voice after your sobs and being nearly hung to death.   
  
Sasuke, who was still half asleep, almost jerked awake at the sound. "What's going on with her?"   
  
" _Sasuke_ ..."   
  
His brows furrowed at the wavering in your voice as you called his name. "(Name)." He found himself at a loss for what to say after that. You'd always presented yourself as such a strong, solid person. He'd never heard you like this, not even once throughout your years of college together. You'd always been kind to him, sometimes to the point where he questioned the bad blood between your families. This wasn't normal for you. You weren't the type to be easily panicked like this.   
  
" _S-sorry that I'm making you come all the way out here_ ."   
  
Sasuke scowled. He might not understand why he had to have been involved in the first place, but for you to speak like your well being (which was clearly at risk) was an inconvenience to him was disappointing. He momentarily wondered exactly how Shisui was treating you, but he knew that while his cousin was sometimes a  blockhead, he wouldn't treat you badly.   
  
"It's fine. Just... stop crying."   
  
The resulting, half hearted laugh you gave, despite how hoarse it sounded, slightly set Shisui at ease.   
  
" _I'll try_ ."   
  
Sasuke and Itachi exchanged looks again, and without a word being spoken, Sasuke understood what Itachi was trying to say.   
  
Keep you occupied - keep you talking. Keep your mind off of whatever happened that had you so shaken up.   
  
And so he did. Shisui was grateful that he had decided to take Sasuke along; initially, it was to ensure that he would be safe, but it seemed that he was comforting you. Even if you were talking about arithmetic, your voice was slowly steadying. He kept you occupied until Shisui pulled up in front of your house.   
  
"(Name), I'm coming up to the door now."   
  
He unbuckled and opened the door, not even bothering to turn off his car engine. He flicked his hood over his head and kept his head down just in case your mom checked the cameras. He couldn't hear your response, but he came to a stop right in front of your entrance.   
  
" _Are you at the door?_ "   
  
Your voice had stopped trembling.   
  
"Yes. Come out." Barely any time had lapsed since that came out of Shisui's mouth from when you came out, barreling into him and wrapping your arms around him tightly. He stumbled backwards, nearly falling down your steps. He wound his arms around you, pressing you into his body and burrowing his face into your neck. You hissed lightly and he retracted from you, using his phone light to look at your neck. "Oh fuck.” You looked up at him with a worried gaze. You went to speak but he hushed you. "It’s nothing. Let's go." You locked the door before you left.   
  
He led you down the yard and opened the passenger door for you. You slid in and Shisui ran to the drivers side and immediately took off afterwards.   
  
He reached out to you, interlacing your fingers and exhaling softly. He watched you fumble with the heater, and it was then that he noticed that you were wearing nothing but a tank top and some pajama shorts. He sighed and rolled up to a red light. "Hold on," he started, going to take his sweater off. "Put this on," he instructed, "You're making me cold just by looking at you."   
  
"Sorry," you murmured, pulling it over your head. Shisui glanced over at you.   
  
"Don't apologize. It was just a joke." He reached for your hand again, squeezing it tight. You exhaled softly and leaned into his toned arm. He allowed a few silent minutes to pass, knowing your eyes were closed. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"   
  
"I will later," you breathed, clinging onto his arm tighter. "I'm still trying to calm down."   
  
"I truly am sorry for interrupting," Itachi started, the volume of his voice causing Sasuke to slightly flinch. "But Shisui told us he would explain, and he still hasn't."   
  
The oldest Uchiha male sighed. "It's going to sound crazy to you. Hell, it sounds crazy to us too, but we're being targeted. It's not by anything human, either."   
  
"I think it's a demon," you added, shuffling closer to Shisui's warmth. "But he doesn't think so."   
  
"That's not what I said," he countered. "I was just saying that there's other malevolent beings out there that aren't demons. It could be a number of things."   
  
"It's been harassing us," you continued, ignoring his miniature outburst. "Giving us nightmares, attacking me, plaguing him with hallucinations, sending us odd text messages."   
  
"It's been..." Shisui let out a breath of exasperation. "Insane."   
  
Sasuke and Itachi were silent as they contemplated over this revelation. A couple of silent minutes passed by until Sasuke broke it. "That's why you went to that church."   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"That makes sense," Itachi added. "You've never been very religious. It was strange that all of a sudden, you decided to go to a service - during a communion service, no less."   
  
Shisui's fingers flexed against yours slightly. "I wasn't paying attention to that," he admitted. "I just wanted to speak with the priest. It went terribly and I never got the chance."   
  
"Do you believe us?" You turned to look at them pointedly, and while your gaze had traveled to Itachi momentarily, your eyes rested on Sasuke.   
  
He could see the purple and red skin peek out from underneath Shisui's sweater.   
  
Sasuke wasn't necessarily religious either. He'd played the part to placate his parents when he was younger, as did Itachi and Shisui, but he never truly believed. It wasn't something Sasuke was eager to trust you on, but considering Shisui wouldn’t wake him up at nearly 4 in the morning for nothing, and you wouldn’t have bruises or be so shaken up without a reason…

He had to believe you.

“Yeah,” Sasuke said finally.

You gave him a small relieved small and looked to Itachi.

Itachi looked nearly unaffected by all of this, something that you weren’t necessarily too surprised to see. You knew him very little, but from the interactions you’d had with him, he had even less of an emotional range than Sasuke.

“I think I will reserve any further judgments until more evidence is presented.”

Shisui’s sharp eyes flickered to him in the mirror. “Are you telling me the bruises on her neck aren’t enough for you? Are you telling me that the _thing_ rushing us earlier wasn’t enough?”

“You haven’t even explained the bruises. You’ve mentioned a rope, and that’s it.”

Shisui felt anger flare up in his gut. “You’re really gonna go there, dude? Fine. _It_ makes me see her hanging from my own fucking fan by a rope with her wrists slit and half of it finally happened. Oh, and even more recently, she’s started bleeding out of her eyes when I see her. Are you fucking happy, Itachi? You really _had_ to make me say it?”

You flinched. That was too much.

“You-“

“Itachi, _let it go_ ,” Sasuke prompted him, an even deeper scowl on his face. “This is not the time for you to use your bullshit logic.” Itachi went to respond to his brother when he cut him off. "If you have something to say to me it can _wait_ ," he whispered sharply. "We don't need to make things worse."   
  
Itachi pointedly shut his mouth, and Sasuke shot him a glare.   
  
"You don't need to get upset Shisui. I didn't die, so-"   
  
"But you could've. _Easily_. I want to know what happened."   
  
He was incredibly tense, and his body language paired with his words sent tears to your eyes once again. You were hypersensitive, with good reason, and having him be so stern with you set you off.   
  
"I'm sorry," he nearly stuttered as you tried to pull away from him. He pulled you back. "Just please tell me what happened."   
  
You tearfully recalled what had happened, starting from your nightmare to waking up dangling from the ceiling. You explained how that once your phone had started vibrating, the rope had magically slipped from your neck and you fell to the floor. Your voice trembled and your breath shook. At that moment, Sasuke knew beyond a shadow of a doubt you were telling the truth. You were being so genuine, so real. You wouldn't cry over nothing - you had never cried before him or anyone else you were mutually friends with. A part of him doubted that you even cried around Shisui, judging by the way he was awkwardly fumbling about the situation.   
  
Itachi was still skeptical, but as you recounted your experience, he couldn't help but feel swayed by you  - at least a little bit. You told your tale with such true fear, it was hard to doubt you. But then again, maybe it _was_ happening, but only inside your head. Even still, Shisui was included in this, and that was what floored him - because he was seeing and experiencing things too. The thought that the two of you were dabbling in hard drugs had occurred to him more than once tonight, and at first that was reinforced by the fact that Shisui had started smoking again - something he'd seemed so adamant that he'd never start back up on - but both of you seemed so coherent.   
  
Shisui pulled into the garage, closing it afterwards and turning his car off. He walked around the front of his car to open the door for you and as he did so, you threw yourself at him again. He stumbled backwards just as he did before, but his arms were tight around your waist. "Are you hungry?" he asked, bringing one hand up and running it through your hair. "Do you need something to drink?"   
  
You breathed in the faint smell of cologne that lingered on his thin shirt. "Just give me a minute." His eyes traveled down to the marks on your neck and his stomach lurched again.   
  
"Take all the time you need," he whispered, pressing gentle kisses to your cheek. You gripped him harder, breathing more of him in as he planted more soft kisses onto your skin. "Thank God you're okay," he whispered, brushing his lips against your jawline and following it, peppering kisses on your flesh the entire way down. He felt you shiver from his touch and then retracted from you. The last thing he wanted right now was to make you uncomfortable with surplus affection.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Hold on,” he murmured, reaching toward the hood of the sweater and peeling it back. He let out a hiss at the purple skin and closed his eyes. “This… I don’t want to ever see bruises here. Not ever again.”

“Only if they’re from you, right?” You spoke with a soft laugh. “We have to figure out a way to stop this. We need to figure out why he’s targeting us.”

“We have to figure out what it is first.” Shisui ran his fingers through your hair.

“We know what it is, Shisui. It’s a demon. We’ve established that.”

“ _You’ve_ established that. I want to do more research.”

“You’re going to give me a hard time when I woke up hanging from a rope?” You chastised jokingly.

Shisui’s brows furrowed. You laughed and burrowed your face into his chest. “Sorry. You set yourself up for that.”

“ _Why_ are you the way that you are?” He asked rhetorically, continuing to play with your hair. “Come on. Let’s go inside and I’ll watch to make sure you get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll do some reading after talking with Itachi and Sasuke. I don’t want to involve them too much.”

“It’s good for them to know at least a little bit,” you countered. “Just in case anything happens-“

“ _Stop_. Nothing will happen. We’ll fix whatever this is. I’ll do whatever it takes.” You separated from him, and you looked up into his eyes with a fond expression.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d saying you’re falling in love with me,” you joked.

Shisui rolled his eyes and took his arms from around you. He pushed you towards the door. “You ruin everything. I’d never fall for a Senju woman. You’re all diagnosed with crazy.” You laughed and made the familiar trek to his room. He sent a group text to both Sasuke and Itachi asking them to call in from work tomorrow so that he could explain. They both responded affirmatively and Shisui let out a sigh as he watched you climb into his bed.

“Aren’t you gonna lay down?” You asked, looking over at him as he sat at his computer desk.

“Not right now,” he responded, turning it on. “I will in a little while. Don’t wait up for me.”

“I won’t.”

He scoffed. A few minutes passed and he started to conduct his research.

“Hey,” You slurred, your voice heavy with sleep, “Thanks.”

Shisui softly smiled at the computer screen. “Just go the hell to sleep.”

He heard you giggle softly and then shift. Your breathing settled and he looked back at your resting form. The bruises peeked out from his sweater. He gripped his computer mouse harder.

What a shitty situation this had turned out to be.


	4. Ipso Facto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate you all very much. I didn’t expect really very many people to enjoy this seeing as it’s kinda... a niche genre of a niche pairing, but you do. Thank you for that. I will respond to your reviews once I can get on a computer. Along with that, I’ll fix the formatting when I have access to a computer as well. 
> 
> This is nearly twice as long as it should be. I figured that I shouldn’t keep you waiting for smut though since they’re FWB. Lmao, hope y’all enjoy

_The sound of your smooth voice moaning set Shisui’s body on fire with shame. He tried his best to move his legs, his feet, even a finger - but it was all to no avail. His dark eyes raked over your nude form as your back arched into the lithe, chiseled man above you._  

 _“Sasuke,” Your wanton voice called, wrapping your tantalizing legs around his younger cousin’s hips._  

_Shisui’s face burned again, mortified that he couldn’t look away, completely aware that this was nothing but a dream but unable to stem his feelings of jealousy, embarrassment, hurt. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak. He couldn't even shut his eyes. He was forced to stand completely motionless, watching as his cousin filled your sopping wet cunt to the brim. Over and over again you called Sasuke’s name, raking your nails against the pale porcelain that was the skin of his back._

_You wanted him. He could tell by the desperation in your breaths that you were dripping for Sasuke, aching for him to continue filling you. He’d driven you to that point himself in the past. He couldn’t deny the lump growing in his throat was testament to just how sensual you were._  

 _But still..._  

 _The guilt of watching you as Sasuke fucked you made his stomach churn. It was wrong to watch but he couldn’t take his eyes off of it. Physically couldn’t. He felt like he was going to be sick._  

_The sounds of Sasuke whispering broken praises caused his chest to ache in a way it never had before. It only worsened when your lips met Sasuke’s in a passionate display of mutual desire. The shameful arousal of watching you in ecstasy mixed unpleasantly with the knowledge that it was his cousin who had you writhing underneath him. He watched as Sasuke then marked your neck, his thrusts becoming erratic as he began to reach his climax._

_This was by far the nightmare that affected him the most, he realized as you called Sasuke’s name again. Not even seeing his parents die over again hurt like this._  

 _“You’re so much better than him, Sasuke,” your soft voice purred. “I’ve always wanted you, Sasuke. I’ve always wanted this.”_  

 _Shisui swore his fucking heart broke at that moment._  

_“You’re going to take all of my cum,” he demanded in response. You moaned and he responded in kind with a guttural grunt that Shisui knew was a signal of his climax. “You’re such a good girl. Take it all, (Name).”_

_He couldn’t see Sasuke’s face and he was so fucking glad he couldn’t. This was a goddamn night terror, by far the worst thing he’d ever seen. He had to remind himself it was fake._  

 _You hadn’t even let Shisui come inside you. It had to be fake. It needed to be._  

 _Sasuke’s head lifted from your neck; he turned towards Shisui for the first time, and his lips parted to speak._  

_And for the first time, Shisui wanted to punch him._

 

**_~~~~~~~_ **

 

Shisui woke up at 2:58 in the morning on Friday - well, technically it was Saturday now - to a heavy knock on his bedroom door. A low voice yelled his name. Shisui placed his forearm over his sweat-laden forehead.

He was fucking exhausted after working an 18 hour shift so as soon as he’d gotten home, he told Sasuke to figure out dinner for himself and flopped into bed. For the first time in weeks, he hadn’t spent time worrying over whether or not he’d see you hanging to death nor did he worry about nightmares. Hed just fallen asleep. He’d worked himself too hard lately, and he’d hardly been sleeping. As his eyes slid open and his heart hammered, he realized how foolish he had been to not concern himself with having nightmares. That had by far been the worst yet. His fist clenched as it all came back with frightening lucidity.

He groaned aloud when a second, more aggressive knock sounded at his door. “Shisui! Get the fuck up!” The muffled sound made it hard to decipher which of his cousins it was.

Didn’t change his answer though.

“Fuck you, I’m getting up!”

He was shaking as a result of seeing you and Sasuke so intimate, dream or not, but he did his best to stem the churning anger and disgust that he felt just in case it was Sasuke at the door.

He couldn’t help the scowl that took his lips when he came face to face with one of the two subjects of his dream. It didn’t even take him half a second to realize that Sasuke’s face was contorted in pain and that he was clutching his right forearm, a thick cloth over it. Shisui had took take a deep breath to steady himself as he recognized that the purple tint in the blue towel was due to blood.

“What’s going on?”

Sasuke’s furrowed brows only creased more and his eyes were filled with panic. “I woke up with this…” His voice was quiet in contrast to how he sounded before Shisui had opened the door. Sasuke removed the cloth with a hiss, and Shisui’s eyes widened as they landed on the bleeding skin there. He couldn’t even recognize Sasuke’s arm.

“Holy fucking shit,” Shisui breathed, taking hold of Sasuke’s elbow. “ _Fuuuuck_ ,” he cursed, all thoughts of the dream out the window as he stared at his cousins arm. Shisui began to lead Sasuke to the bathroom in haste, placing the rough towel over his mangled flesh again. Sasuke said nothing but allowed his cousin to lead him to the sink. He directed him to sit. Shisui held the towel to his wound firmly, causing Sasuke to groan and clench his teeth.

“Fuck,” Sasuke huffed, his eyes shut tight as he endured the pain.

“You alright?” Shisui asked, momentarily gazing up at Sasuke’s face.

Sasuke’s eyes opened slowly, and as he opened them, he gazed down at his covered but lacerated arm. His eyes flew open, wide with fear. “H-Holy shit, Shisui! What the fuck is that?!” Shisui’s attention went back to his arm.

“Oh shit,” Shisui gasped, fighting the instinct to drop Sasuke’s arm. The blood that had been absorbed by the cloth turned black in color, but the fresh blood from the wound was a bright red when he momentarily checked it. As he did so, Shisui peeked to check the damage. Underneath it all were multiple gigantic lacerations all down his forearm in the shape of one word.

**_Hide_ **

“Shisui…” Sasuke began, his voice beginning to waver. “Is this from that demon?”

Shisui grit his teeth. “I fucking hope not.” Anger licked at his gut at the notion. He hadn’t even realized that he forgot to refute that it was, indeed, a demon.

“Is that why you looked so angry with me when you opened the door? Did you have a dream or something?”

Damn it Sasuke. You had to inherit the infamous Uchiha perceptiveness.

Shisui’s brows furrowed and he recovered Sasuke’s wound. The flow was beginning to slow down finally, but the entire situation put him at unease. There was no other explanation for this.

Before he could stop himself, Shisui found himself speaking. “Sasuke, hold the towel down. I need to check something.” Sasuke complied and Shisui moved to Sasuke’s back, rolling up the hem of his shirt.

His breath hitched at the sight of bright, fresh red lines on Sasuke’s back. Feelings of betrayal, jealousy, and hurt welled up before he pushed them away. It had been nothing but a nightmare. Sasuke wouldn’t do that with you. _You_ wouldn’t do that _to him._

“Shisui, tell me what’s going on in your head.” He felt his cousins fingers gently brush against his skin. He could feel the slight sting the pressure brought and his brows furrowed in confusion.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, allowing a sigh to slip past his lips. “It’s irrational.”

“Irrational or not. I think I’m involved enough now to know what you’re thinking about.”

Shisui’s fists balled in Sasuke’s black shirt. “You fucked her, Sasuke.”

Sasuke’s entire body stiffened. “What are you saying?”

“(Name), Sasuke. You fucked (Name).”

Sasuke knew he was talking about a dream. He hadn’t even had much alone time with you, and Shisui knew that. There were a few times where Shisui left the two of you alone, but it had never been for long.

He slowly untangled his fingers from the dark fabric and then maneuvered back to Sasuke’s injury, noting that Sasuke wasn’t putting enough pressure on the wound at all. Shisui’s hands took their place back on his bleeding forearm. He heard Sasuke sigh softly. “I didn’t _actually_ fuck (Name), Shisui.”

His lips were taut. “I know. I don’t know why he showed me that.”

You had been spending more time than usual with Sasuke, but it appeared to be nothing but platonic. The fact that your cousin was still coming over every other day set him at ease once he remembered it, but he still felt unsettled. He’d seen Sasuke plunge into you and heard him whisper your name. It wasn’t something he could easily forget.

“Would you, Sasuke?”

Sasuke looked up at Shisui, interlocking eyes with him. The look in the older man’s eyes caused him to scoff. Sasuke winced in pain as the movement caused the towel to rub against his lacerations. “I’m fucking her cousin and you’re still asking me that question?”

He was avoiding answering it. Figures. Shisui probably didn’t want to know the answer anyways. It was best to move on.

Shisui tended to Sasuke’s wounds in silence, washing them in lukewarm water with antibacterial soap. Afterwards, Shisui went into the garage and found duct tape, closing up the cuts using the crude, makeshift first aid method he’d learned on the field. When it was all said and done, the two of them sat out on the living room couch together. Shisui placed his head in his hands.

“Do you remember the name of that nurse Itachi dated?”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, crossing his arm. “I...Izumi..?”

Shisui nodded. “Yeah, okay. Well we have two options here. We could take you to the emergency room where they will likely throw you in a psych ward because _no one_ will believe that you didn’t do that to yourself, or we could call her in the morning. That should hold till then.”

Sasuke sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Itachi’s gonna be pissed.”

That was pretty much an answer. He couldn’t blame him. Shisui wouldn’t want to be carted away either.

“He’s always pissed for some fucking reason,” Shisui retorted. “But this is kinda important, Sasuke. I don’t want that to get infected. Those were deep.”

Sasuke gazed down at his makeshift bandage. “You think it’s gonna scar?” Shisui bit his lip, hesitating to answer Sasuke’s loaded question.

“Yeah,” he forced himself to concede. “I’m sorry, Sasuke, but yeah. That’s gonna scar.” Sasuke ran his hands through his hair and closed his eyes.

“Fucking shit. _Fuck_.” Sasuke ground his teeth together in frustration, his arm pulsing in pain. “What are you going to do, Shisui? Do you have a game plan?”

“Beyond keeping (Name) alive, not really. The girl is a fucking mess,” he sighed. “She’s either drunk or hungover lately and her friends are no help. She actually got beaten by Hidan yesterday,” Shisui explained while running his hand down his face. “I don’t know what she wants me to do anymore. She tells me she doesn’t want _us_ public but she’s putting herself into bad situations that give me no choice but to get involved. Or she straight up shits on what she’s previously said. You know, yesterday she also tried to push me into the men’s locker room and give me a blowjob. I never thought that I’d _ever_ say no to getting my dick sucked, Sasuke.”

That brought a smirk to Sasuke’s lips despite the dark situation. “So that’s where the two of you went.”

Shisui scoffed and stood, going to the kitchen and getting a bottle of whiskey and some ibuprofen. He poured Sasuke a double shot of the liquor and then brought it to him with a cup full of soda. “Take these. I’m not a doctor so I don’t know what will help soothe the pain, but this might help a bit.” Sasuke thanked him and used his other arm to do so.

“You shouldn’t work tomorrow,” Shisui started, patting Sasuke’s back gently. “Take some time off. I’ll talk to your dad for you.” Sasuke furrowed his brows but nodded, taking the shot without even a grimace. He chased it down and popped the pills in his mouth. “I’m gonna go look in my old phone for that girls number. You wanna stay in my room for the rest of the night? You can take the bed.”

Sasuke contemplated over this for a moment. He didn’t want his cousin to perceive him as weak, but the tone that Shisui said it with made him think that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. The notion that Shisui wanted to protect him even after seeing something as graphic as he had during his nightmare made him fight a small smile. As aloof as Shisui was attempting to portray himself as of late, he was still his caring, goofy cousin at heart.

It went without saying that Sasuke was concerned about something happening again, but for Shisui to have such a worried expression on his face forced had Sasuke making up his mind. “Yeah. Don’t tell Itachi.” Shisui smirked and helped his cousin stand.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

**_~~~~~~~_ **

 

To say that both you and Naruto were drunk out of your fucking minds was an understatement. With it being Saturday night and your mom giving you the subsequent morning off, you’d decided to go downtown with your cousin and blow off some steam. He was stressed about schoolwork and his job and in the midst of his drunken ranting, you’d learned that there was a guy he was interested in that was giving off mixed signals.

 _That_ was something you could relate to.

For at least an hour of your night out, the two of you vented, ranted, and cursed the two men that were confusing you. You redacted Shisui’s name, but you were also too drunk to realize that Naruto was doing the same.

Nonetheless, you spent the night dancing with random guys, accepting drinks, and hanging around awkwardly while your cousin make out with the bartender with the huge boobs when she took her break. After he’d finished and snagged her number, you both went back into the dance club where you finished off your night with three more shots each and plenty of dancing. At the end of the night, Naruto grabbed your arm and dragged you outside the club.

“I think we fucked up,” Naruto slurred, taking a few clumsy steps. “Neither of us can drive!” He said with a laugh.

“I’d say that I can ask my _friend,”_ you started, trying your best not to hiccup. “But he hasn’t texted me back since 8 AM,” you pouted.

“No! I would tell you no anyways. We don’t fucking need them, (Name), we’re strong and independent and shit!” Naruto refuted, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I’ll order us a… a ride,” he finished, slightly panting due to his shortness of breath.

You laughed and he drug you to the nearest bench. You dug your phone out of your purse as Naruto ordered the ride.

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[11:54 PM]_

_Hey. How’s your night going? You doing okay?_

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[11:55 PM]_

_I’m sorry for dropping off the face of the Earth._

_Sasuke needed me._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[12:32 AM]_

_You ignoring me?_

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:22 AM]_

_I know I shouldn’t say things like this, but I miss you._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:23 AM]_

_I know it’s only been a bit over a week but that’s too long for me._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:30 AM]_

_I miss your touch, but even just laying with you would be okay._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:32 AM]_

_Still. I shouldn’t have said no on Thursday. I miss seeing you on your knees. Hahaha._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[2:45 AM]_

_Goodnight. Let me know if anything happens or if you get a nightmare again._

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[3:14 AM]_ **

**_I mis u too shisui_ **

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[3:14 AM]_ **

**_can u pls pick me up from narutos hous pls_ **

 

His response was immediate.

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:14 AM]_

_Are you serious… How drunk are you?_

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:15 AM]_

_I will pick you up. Do you want me to leave now?_

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:16 AM]_

_(Name)?_

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[3:17 AM]_ **

**_no_ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:17 AM]_

_No to leaving now or no to picking you up?_

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[3:25 AM]_ **

**_i duno_ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:25 AM]_

_Lol. Okay._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[3:26 AM]_

_Be safe. Call me if you want me to get you._

 

You and Naruto continued to talk to one another, showing each other dumb posts on social media until you arrived home. You both thanked the driver and stumbled to the front door.

You decided it was better to stay, considering neither of you could hardly walk. Naruto fell at least 4 times.

“Oi,” you started as you peeled off your heels. “I’m staying the night,” you explained as you stumbled, reaching to the wall for purchase.

“What the fuck? Where did you think you were going anyways?” Naruto shot back, throwing his dress shoes into the nearest corner.

“Chill out,” you said with a drunken giggle. Naruto smirked at you and laughed, pushing your shoulder and making you fall into the wall. “Dick!”

“You’re too much, (Name). I really feel like I’m about to puke though so I’m gonna be in the bathroom,” Naruto continued, a hand on his stomach.

“Do you need help?” You asked, struggling to stand straight.

You heard him slightly gag. “Just get me some sweats and a shirt from my room.” You agreed, first going to the kitchen and getting a water bottle for him and then going into his room and fetching what he’d asked for.

The sight of him hanging his over the toilet was almost too much, and a laugh coaxed itself from your lips. Naruto flipped you off with a smile, and you set the bottle down on the floor. You helped him change his clothes, because at this point he was hardly mobile, and after watching him for a moment you decided that you’d stay with your cousin. You’d been contemplating over it after texting Shisui, but after seeing how fucked up he was, you knew you’d have to stay with him. Despite being pretty trashed yourself, he was way worse off. You took out your phone from your purse and sent another text.

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[3:30 AM]_ **

**_thanj u_ **

 

There was no immediate response but you didn’t expect one. You didn’t put your phone away yet - instead you lifted it up and switched to your camera app.

“Smile pretty, Naruto!”

_Snap!_

He flipped you off again but smiled through his gagging. You stayed with him throughout the night despite the wretched smell and grotesque sounds, cooling off his heated skin and giving him sips of water when you thought he needed it.

You both woke up to pounding headaches and to the sound of Karin’s unbearably loud rant of disapproval.

“You are _adults!_ Is it possible for _at least_ one of you to act like you’re not drinking for the first time when you go out?!”

You groaned aloud, opening your eyes and realizing that you were both still on the bathroom floor. “Karin, shut _up!”_ She put her hands on her hips as she stood in the doorway, glaring down at you. You lifted Naruto’s head from your lap slowly so you wouldn’t make him nauseous and he sat up on his own. “Your voice is way too annoying to wake up to,” you grumbled, clutching at your head.

“I have to deal with this all the time,” Naruto joined you, grogginess muddying his voice. Karin stared at both of you with a scowl.

“I hate both of you. Now get out of the bathroom so I can shower!” You both groaned and grumbled and you had to hold onto Naruto to ground him as a wave of nausea took him. You steadied him as you both stood, and Naruto murmured a few choice curse words at his sister before you tumbled into his room.

“Ugh,” Naruto groaned, throwing himself on top of his bed. “Let’s just go back to sleep until my mom yells at us for being lazy,” he spoke into the plush pillow. He gripped your wrist and pulled you in with him. “It’s not weird, ‘kay? We’re cousins.”

You rolled your eyes as you pulled his soft, brown blanket over yourself. “It wasn’t weird until you said anything, dork,” you refuted, turning away from him. You felt his hand smack you upside the head.

“Yeah and it’s _still_ not weird. Close your eyes, douche!” He snickered to himself, amused that he’d gotten the chance to smack you without retaliation. The two of you ended up dozing off again, waking a few hours later with much less pain in your heads than before. Surprisingly, Kushina didn’t come in the room to chide either of you despite it being half past noon and both you and Naruto spent some time in bed just lounging around on your phones. He’d turned on the TV to a movie he’d wanted to watch.

You scrolled through your social media, chuckling to yourself at a picture that you’d passed about a dog with a screen door around its head. Your smirk turned into a mischievous grin when you’d realized you’d taken a picture of Naruto the night before. You switched to your photo app, seeing the small preview of the picture and clicking on it.

A sharp gasp left your lips when you saw it. It wasn’t the picture you took - not at _all._ Instead of Naruto’s head being perched haphazardly on the edge of the toilet seat with a grin, his lips were curled into an expression of pain, a long trickle of red liquid trailing from his pursed lips. His eyes had gone completely black, scarlet covering the expanse of his cheeks. The blood came from his eye sockets from what you could see because they were peeled back grotesquely. You let out a pathetic whimper, your heart pounding out of control and your fingers beginning to tremble. You couldn’t tear your eyes away.

You let out another exaggerated gasp as your phone jerked about in your hands. It came loose from your grasp and tumbled down onto the bed.

Naruto shot you a concerned look. “What’s wrong with you?” He hadn’t heard you gasp, but he’d seen you drop your phone like it had burned your hands.

“N-nothing,” you stuttered, scrambling to pick you phone back up before he could take a look himself. Your phone continued to vibrate and you took a look at the caller ID.

 

_Uchiha Sasuke_

 

Your brows furrowed and you bit down on your lip. Why was he calling you? You’d almost expected it to be Shisui because of his uncanny ability to know when to call you after a nightmare or something, but this..? This was…

You sighed to compose yourself and shifted off of the bed. “I’ll be right back. I need to take this call,” you explained, moving towards the door. Naruto verbally acknowledged your departure and you answered the call as soon as you’d shut his door behind you.

_“(Name)!”_

Sasuke sounded breathless, almost panicked. Your face contorted in worry.

“Are you okay, Sasuke?”

_“What!? Why did you send me that picture!?”_

You closed your eyes tight.

You hadn’t sent him anything. Not a goddamn thing. But you knew that the… demon had some kind of control over your phone, so you wouldn’t have been surprised if…

“Was it a picture of Naruto?” You asked, doing your best to steady your voice and remain calm despite your own anxieties.

_“Yes. What the fuck is going on?”_

God damn it.

Of course that would happen. Of _course_ that fucking demon would send that picture to Naruto’s sparring partner - and _rival_ \- of all people. You knew - from a hunch - that it wasn’t the original either. It had the be the one of Naruto half dead and covered in his own blood. Otherwise Sasuke wouldn’t sound so… upset.

“Nothing,” you breathed. “The demon... he modified that photo. Naruto is fine, Sasuke. I promise.”

There was nothing but silence on the other line for a few moments before Sasuke sighed, gathering himself.

_“Send that picture to Shisui and Itachi. I want to see something.”_

“I don’t have Itachi’s number.”

_“I’ll send it to you.”_

“Okay. Sorry to worry you, Sasuke, but he’s fine. I can even give him the phone if you want.”

More silence.

_“No. Just send them the picture.”_

“Got it. Anything else?”

Sasuke seemed to contemplate in silence for a moment.

_“Just don’t let that idiot do anything stupid.”_

You snorted. “I never do.”

He hung up. He didn’t seem to be in the mood to engage in banter with you and you honestly didn’t blame him. Before you walked back into Naruto’s room - you’d been pacing the hallway - you and the picture to Shisui and then saved Itachi’s number when Sasuke sent it. You delivered the photo to Itachi as well and then made your way back to Naruto’s room.

As soon as you opened the door, he was standing there shirtless with a cocked brow. He seemed to have a complicated expression on his face as you walked in. “Who were you talking to, (Name)?”

“Just a friend,” you spoke. It wasn’t entirely a lie. Naruto knew you were on friendly terms with Sasuke despite the initial disapproval of your family. “Why?”

Naruto seemed to be thinking. He looked back towards the television. “Curious,” he murmured. He seemed to snap out of the funk he was in instantaneously. “What are you doing today? We can go to Ichiraku’s and then head over to the gym if you want,” Naruto offered, grabbing a used bath towel from his headboard.

“I wasn’t really planning on doing anything. That sounds fine though,” you responded, looking at Itachi’s text.

 

_Uchiha Itachi_

_[1:12 PM]_

_Thank you (Name)._

 

_Uchiha Itachi_

_[1:13 PM]_

_The picture is completely normal for me. Nothing off about it._

 

_Uchiha Itachi_

_[1:13 PM]_

_Once I get home I will look at it from Sasuke’s device._

 

You sighed and went to respond, but one from Shisui came in.

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:13 PM]_

_Holy shit._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:14 PM]_

_That’s fucking brutal. He’s okay though, right? It’s just a picture?_

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[1:15 PM]_ **

**_Yeah he’s okay. It was the demon, Shisui._ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:15 PM]_

_I’m still doing research._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:15 PM]_

_We don’t know if it’s a demon._

 

“I’m gonna take a shower,” Naruto spoke, patting your shoulder. “You can take one after me. Go raid my moms closet. You should find something that fits you.” You thanked him and sat down on his bed.

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[1:16 PM]_ **

**_You’re starting to piss me off, Shisui._ **

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[1:16 PM]_ **

**_If this means my cousin is in danger, you need to hurry with your fucking research._ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:17 PM]_

_Don’t snap at me._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:17 PM]_

_I’m doing the best I can. You have more free time than I do and I don’t see you doing any research._

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[1:17 PM]_ **

**_That’s because I know it’s a demon. I don’t need to do research._ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:18 PM]_

_What do you suggest we do then? I’m always working and when I’m not I’m training or reading up on shit like this. For fucks sake, I’m doing all I can, (Name)._

 

You felt panic and agitation rise and settle in your chest. Your throat closed in on itself and you resisted the urge to let tears well up in your eyes.

 

 **_Senju (Name)_ **  
**_[1:20 PM]_ **  
**_You’re hardly fucking doing anything, Shisui. I hear from you maybe once a fucking day when you ask me if anything went wrong. You rejected me when I tried to get close to you on Thursday and you never let me know when I can come over. If you don’t want to keep doing this just tell me. You’re acting like you don’t give a shit. I doubt you ever did. I know I signed up for this but I was probably only a quick fuck to you and now that things are getting difficult, you’re jumping ship. You probably even didn’t think of me as a friend._ **  
  
**_Senju (Name)_ **  
**_[1:21 PM]_ **  
**_I was stupid to even try this FWB shit._ **

 

You rubbed at your eyes, doing your best to hold back your tears. With everything going on, it was just too much. You’d been drowning yourself in alcohol and friends in order to distract yourself from the recurring nightmares and the insecurities welling up. It seemed as if it was all crashing down around you. It was a horrible feeling that made your already queasy stomach worsen. You hadn’t been sleeping well, you hadn’t been eating, you’d been doing worse and worse in training, your mother was worried because you’d been less focused on work…. everything was becoming a mess. 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:22 PM]_

_First off, don’t talk to me like that. You’re gonna piss me off. Secondly, You know we’re not gonna stop seeing each other, so that’s not even an option. Get that possibility out of your head like, right fucking now. Third, I’ve been working 16-20 hour days lately so yeah, it’s kinda hard for me to check in more than that. My partner’s on paternity leave so yeah, I have to pick up the slack for him. I’m not sorry about fucking working, (Name). Lastly, you tried to come on to me during practice so I had no choice but to reject you. The only reason I go to practice in the first place is for you. I don’t give a shit about competitions anymore, if you haven’t noticed. I have a fucking career now so I have other shit to worry about._  

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:23 PM]_

_I worry about shit like how we’re gonna beat this fucking supernatural being and how to stay focused when my thoughts are on you all fucking day._

   
 _Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:23 PM]_

_Don’t ever say that I don’t care about you ever again._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:24 PM]_

_You’ve always been more than just a fuck. You’ve kept me sane during some of my hardest days. You’re one of the closest people to me._

 

You sniffled, his words making it even more difficult to keep yourself together. The pressure in your chest only multiplied as you drafted and sent a new message to him.

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_[1:25 PM]_ **

**_So then what am I to you, Shisui?_ **

 

You had always promised yourself you wouldn’t ask that. You swore to yourself - when this all started - that you wouldn’t caught up with him like the way you were now. Things had changed so quickly and the demon attacks didn’t help anything. It had been so long since you’d cried over a boy and you genuinely felt like sobbing into Naruto’s pillow right now. You could feel it in your gut… Shisui just didn’t view you like how you did him. You adored him and wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. You shifted your priorities around in order to see him and he mostly ignored you until he felt obligated to check up on your wellbeing. There was too much of a disconnect.

Your burning eyes reminded you that you probably should’ve never started sleeping with an older man to begin with. A few minutes passed before you received a response.

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:30 PM]_

_I don’t really know. At least not exactly. I’m sorry._

 

You put your phone down on the mattress, face first. You then took a deep breath to stifle the incoming tears and walked into Kushina and Minato’s room, picked out a suitable outfit, and hopped in the shower when Naruto was out. You left your phone in the room without realizing it, far too engrossed in your own thoughts to realize that Naruto might snoop.

When you walked back inside his room as you dried your hair, he was holding your phone with one of his perfectly brows cocked mockingly. His lips were pursed into an uncharacteristic scowl.

You let out a preemptive groan.

“Are you roleplaying or something? This is not cool, (Name).”

You shook your head, walking over to him and reaching for your phone. He held it higher. “You’re not getting this thing till you tell me what the hell is going on!”

“It’s complicated!” You responded, a twinge of desperation cracking your voice.

“Well shit, apparently! Are you really fucking _Uchiha Shisui?!”_

“I-“

“Why are you sending my picture to Itachi?! Why did you send it to Sasuke?! What’s wrong with my picture that Shisui called it brutal?! What the _hell_ kind of demon are you talking about?! _What kind of role play is this?!”_

“It’s not _role play,_ Naruto! This is my fucking life!”

“You’re texting _three_ different Uchiha! Do you know how badly our family would flip? And they would completely disown you if they found out that you were sleeping with one!”

Naruto felt a twinge of guilt as he said that. He shook it off a moment later.

He wasn’t sure what drove him to confront you. Maybe it was jealousy that you’d been texting Sasuke lately or maybe it was something else.

But on the other hand… He hoped this was role play. If it wasn’t, you were apparently in a bad situation. What demon were you talking about, was it even real? You were talking and _reacting_ like it was real…

“Naruto, lower your voice!” You demanded, pushing him lightly in a burst of frustration. You couldn’t have your family figuring it out.

“No!” He held it further out of your reach.

“ _Why_ are you so upset?! If you give me my phone, I will explain!”

He was being much too transparent, he realized, if you could tell so easily that he was upset. He took a few calming breaths and resolved to give you back your phone, though he did so reluctantly.

“You better explain,” Naruto spoke, a stern look on his face.

You sighed, shaking your head and clicking your tongue. “Let’s go get my fucking car from downtown. I’ll explain on the way.”

Naruto rose a brow. “Tell me you’re at least gonna use the hairdryer first.”

You rolled your eyes. Like you’d go out in the winter with sopping wet hair.  “No shit, Sherlock.”

 

**_~~~~~~~_ **

  


Somehow, at the end of the night, both you _and_ Naruto ended up on the front porch of Shisui’s house. You’d spent the day running around with him, working out, doing various errands, and eating _a lot._ Seriously. He had the most insatiable appetite. You told him as little as possible, but just enough to placate him.

It was almost midnight and Shisui had pretty much just gotten home, judging from the fact the garage door was still wide open.

“Knock on the door,” Naruto ordered, his hands crossed over his chest.

You felt frozen in place. You’d basically ignored his last text after sending him an extremely emotionally charged rant. You felt the same frustration that you felt earlier well up and all of a sudden, your eyes burned again. Your fists clenched and your throat clammed up.

“ _Fuck,”_ you whispered underneath your breath, hoping that Naruto wouldn’t hear you. Unfortunately he had, so he shot you a sympathetic look and reached out to rub your back soothingly.

“Hey,” he started, his voice significantly softer than it had been before. “I don’t really know what’s going on, but if those texts between you and him aren’t role play-“ You groaned, interrupting him. “Then I think it’ll be fine. He seems to actually care about you, despite you being… well, ya know, a Senju.” He stopped for a moment. “ _If_ you can trust him, that is.”

“Thanks, Naruto,” you breathed, grounding yourself by focusing on his touch. “For some reason, this just seems more daunting now that you’re involved.”

“You never really explained the demon thing very well,” Naruto mused, still rubbing your back. “But I’ll cut you some slack. I know how it is when you’re hung up on someone that may or _may not_ return those feelings.”

Your throat felt like it got tighter.

Despite your reluctance, you knocked on the door four times and rang the doorbell once. It was yours and Shisui’s secret code and hopefully he’d recognize it. There was a resounding crash mere seconds after you rang the bell and you jumped, your sensitivity to the situation being heightened.

You tried your best to look in through the window but it was covered thoroughly.

About a minute later, the door was peeled open. Sasuke’s silhouette caught your eye.

“Oh,” he started, his eyes going to Naruto’s form. “Why are you here?”

You weren’t sure who he was talking to at first, but he never took that harsh of a tone with you, so you figured it was towards Naruto.

Naruto’s immediate shift into a more defensive stance told you enough.

“I’m here for answers, teme! Why are you texting and calling my cousin?!”

“Tch. Get off my porch, usuratonkachi,” he disregarded him, giving him a glare in the meantime. His eyes shifted towards you. “You coming in?”

Your complexion flushed in embarrassment. “I-... can Naruto come in too?” You asked, trying to avoid his dark eyes.

Sasuke clicked his tongue. “I-“

“Let them in, Sasuke.” Your heart stopped at the sound of Shisui’s voice, exhausted though it was. You heard the sound of footsteps approach the door and Shisui opened the larger door. “I need to talk to her anyway.”

You looked over at Naruto, a weak smile on your face. “I told you it wasn’t role play, _bitch_.”

Despite your small victory over your cousin, your nerves were still fluttering about like crazy when you looked at Shisui. He was still in full uniform though his firearm had been taken off. You swallowed hard, trying to focus on anything but how amazing he looked in full police clothing.

He lightly chewed on his bottom lip as he stared at you. You made eye contact and you saw something _soft_ in his eyes. Something you couldn’t exactly recognize.

“Come inside, you two.”

Sasuke stepped aside without protest, and the two of you walked in. You gasped as two strong arms brought you into a hard, muscular chest. Despite the uncomfortable feeling of his badge and pins against your chest, you were able to melt into him, wrapping your arms around him in return.

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” he spoke into your neck. “I want to talk. I will take you to school tomorrow. Just stay the night with me.”

“I brought Naruto with me. What will he do?” Shisui separated from you.

“Sasuke, Naruto is staying the night."

He didn’t miss how both boys eyes widened in surprise.

“You don’t have to-“

“Why?”

“Because I fucking said so, Sasuke. If you can’t play nice for one fucking night then _you_ have a problem. I’m going to take (Name) into my room and have a conversation with her and _you_ can explain what’s going on to Naruto, since I’m sure that’s why they’re here in the first place.”

You nodded, not trusting yourself to speak without crying. You heard Naruto and Sasuke sigh in tandem.

“Aren’t you gonna eat Shisui?” You watched as Sasuke pulled one of his sleeves down.

“I’ll eat later.” He wrapped his fingers around your wrist and began to lead you down the hallway.

“I already warmed it up,” Sasuke protested.

“Just put it back in the fridge. I’ll eat it when I get a chance.”

Before Sasuke could protest more, Shisui drug you down the hallway and into his room. Before you could even yell at him - because honestly, your anxiety had turned into anger - he’d twirled you around, pressed your back against the closed door, and flicked the lock.

He kissed you so hard that your head hit the wood hard enough to make you gasp. There was no hesitation, not even a moment for you to breath as he slid his tongue in your mouth, taking all of your mouth for himself.

You heard him slightly moan, the sound dizzying you and only making it _that_ much more difficult to catch up to him. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s-“

He shushed you, going to devour you. He moved his hands up your stomach. “I have to keep you at a distance, you know.” You could taste the cigarettes on his tongue. “You know the risks we take every day. They would make us choose, (Name), and I won’t choose.”

He gave you no time to speak, covering your mouth with his own and giving you feverish, hot, wet kisses that you struggled to return. “So let’s just stay like this,” Shisui continued, lifting your - well, Kushina’s - shirt over your head. “Just you and me.” You moaned as he pressed his heated, wet lips to a particularly sensitive part of your flesh.

He took his lips from you after he seemed your skin sufficiently marked. He was breathless, his lips were swollen due to his rough usage of them, his pupils dilated with primal need. “Tell me it’s only me.” You tried to reach for him on your toes but he denied you. “Tell me.”

“Only you,” you whined, rocking your hips into his. “Always.”

He kissed you again, smirking into your mouth. “I’m gonna take good care of you, _baby_.”

Hearing him call you a pet name had you reeling in seconds. Your body temperature shot up, your fingers began to tremble, and you let out a soft moan as a shiver racked your spine. His tongue curled around the word, his voice raising your skin only to be soothed by his gentle fingers caressing every inch of you that he could reach. He hardly ever called you pet names. It was something he’d previously expressed distaste for, something he considered much too intimate.

“I can’t decide if I want to fuck you into the mattress or take my time with you. What do you want me to do, _baby?_ Tell me. Tell me how I should fuck you tonight.”

“Fuck me hard,” you moan into his mouth. “So hard that I’ll feel it for days.” He smirks again and it sends another wave of heat through your body. He puts two of his fingers into your mouth roughly. You were used to this treatment by now so you sucked. He traced your jaw with his thumb until your hallowed out your cheeks as you sucked, causing him to let out a harsh breath.

“Fuck,” he nearly whimpered, his free hand reaching towards his belt and undoing it effortlessly. He tosses it away, going to undo his blue work shirt next. That gets tossed to the side as well just as carelessly. “It was getting too hot,” he explained, using one hand to pull down the pants you were wearing. He slides his fingers from your mouth and kisses your lips again, his digits immediately coming into contact with your folds. “I’m gonna get you ready for me, okay?”

You only gasped as his fingers filled you. Not enough to completely satisfy you, but yet you rocked yourself on them nonetheless. His body reacted almost violently to your eager thrusting as you eagerly fucked his fingers - he had to use his free hand to hold himself up as he fell forward, his composure completely slipping at your uncharacteristic through thirst for his touch. You always wanted him, but _this_ was something different entirely.

The next few moments meshed together almost incomprehensibly. His touch was like fire, burning up your entire being. His lips were like electricity, sending shocks of _something_ through you and into your very core. He knew you. He knew where to kiss, where to touch, what to say. He cradled your face, singing praises to the tune of your song, matching your neediness with desperation of his own. He was gentle but firm as he directed you to the bed, debating on fucking you with your face pressed down into the mattress for a minute before settling for missionary.

He searched his nightstand for protection, cursing lowly as he did so. Your lovely fingers were cradling his hard cock, pumping him just how he taught you to. “I can’t fucking find one,” he growled, his need for you increasing by the second.

You pulled him down by the collar of his tank top that he wore underneath his shirt. “Just fuck me raw then,” you flirted, pressing a deep kiss to his mouth. “You can cum on my face.”

Fuck. _Fuck._ Shisui didn’t have enough self control to say no to that. Within a split second, your hand was placed on your stomach and his cock was pressed inside you. He slowed himself down halfway in, nearly unable to take the extent of the pleasure that the skin to skin contact gave him. You noticed him nearly lose himself, his eyes closing tight and his fists balling next to your face. “You’re so good for me,” he mewled. The fact that he was nearly parroting Sasuke in his dream was not lost on him, but he was too engrossed in fucking you to care. “You’re always so pretty for me, making faces like this one.”

And then he picked up his pace. Dramatically.

Your mouth curved into a pout at his praise and you wound your legs tightly around his hips. Again, it’s not lost on him that this is the exact same position you were in during his dream, but he truly, honestly can’t find it within himself to care.

He was going hard and heavy, encouraged by the wanton, absolutely _maddening_ moans of _his_ _name_ you were practically bursting with. The pleasure was building so dramatically, so _painfully_ quick that you felt tears fall from your eyes. Your cunt clenched around his slick cock and he plunged into you harder, deeper, faster.

“You’re about to cum, aren’t you _doll?_ Cum on my cock, _baby._ It’s okay,” he soothed, finally touching you as he fucked you. He caressed your face. “Come undone all over me. It's alright _baby girl.”_ You whimpered. You whined, cried and moaned, tears still falling down your cheeks. Shisui felt his climax approaching quickly as he stared. “ _God_ you’re so fucking pretty when you cry. Cry for me, (Name).”

“Shisui!” You sobbed, gripping his tank tightly, Your voice cracking. “Shisui, oh _my_ _god!”_

“Fuck yes. You’re so gorgeous. You’re so beautiful.”

Your climax hit you so hard you choked on his name. “Shisui!”

“Yes baby?”

“I… I will always..!” You cried, your tears falling faster as you rode out your orgasm.

“I know, _angel_ ,” he grunted, the clenching of your walls forcing him to pull out. “I know.” He’d barely made it in time, finishing on the outside of your dripping pussy and covering it with his hot seed. He panted, pressing his forehead to yours. You both closed your eyes, relishing in the silent, intimate moment.  

He interlaced your fingers with his own, but yet your tears still fell.

“How long have you known?”

He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips. “Probably longer than you. You felt it just now, didn’t you?”

You tried your best to keep your eyes closed, not wanting to face the shame of seeing his face.

“Yes.”

“You know why you can’t, right?”

You were silent for awhile.

“Why I can’t what?”

“You can’t like me. You don’t know me like you think you do.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t feel, Shisui.”

He tsked. “Stubborn woman. You must have a death wish, falling for someone like me…”

You opened your eyes, immediately recognizing the affection and softness he held for you in them. You gave him a sad smile. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

His face became incredibly stern. “Don’t admit something like that. You’re not supposed to like me.”

“I guess we just won’t talk about this again, then.”

He scoffed.

“You Senju women are fucking nuts.”

“You Uchiha men are impossible. And dark. And secretive. And prideful. And-“

“Yikes,” he interrupted. “I think that’s sufficient.” He presses a gentle kiss to each of your lids. “Now stop crying. I don’t like it.”

“You just told me that I’m pretty when I cry.”

He rolled his eyes. “You thrive off of irritating me.” He flopped down next to you, forcing you to face him and trailing the outline of your lovely face with his fingers. “One day you will be safe.”

You didn’t need to ask what he was referring to.

“I am. Right here, right now.”

His brows furrowed. “Stop saying shit like that.”

“Why?” You asked mockingly. “Otherwise you’ll go soft..?”

He smiled at you. It was a pitiful excuse for a smile.

“Yeah. Something like that.”

You kissed him.

...

For some reason, he couldn’t find it within himself to kiss you back.  



	5. Extrico

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! I don’t know how summonings/rituals work (I was a sheltered, Christian girl for most of my life) so this is just a guess and some creative liberty on my part. Lmao!

“You _need to utilize your hips more when you try those double round kicks, Senju.” Your narrowed eyes shifted to the left where your shirtless companion fiddled with his water bottle._  

 _“Yeah, well you need to utilize a shirt, Uchiha. No one wants to see that.”_  

 _Shisui laughed and then walked over to you, lingering near your shoulder. You fumbled with your earphones clumsily, dropping them due to being caught off guard at his close proximity._  

 _The tension had been building for months now. You’d been trying your best to deny it, but after being granted some extra sparring time with him from your sensei for a few consecutive weekends, your boundaries were blurring together more and more. From his longer, softer touches to the way he would brush his fingers through your sweaty strands of hair when you were alone._  

 _And for some reason, he never wore a shirt when you trained together. It just wasn’t fair._  

 _“Are you really telling me you don’t want to see me shirtless? You’re lying to yourself. You’re always significantly more distracted during our one-on-one sessions than in class.” He gently pressed his palm against your shoulder to turn you towards him. You looked up at him curiously. He’d never been this forward with his flirting before.You immediately identified the look in his eyes - it was the look of a predator sizing up their prey. “All you have to do is say the word.”_  

 _You knew exactly what he meant by that. The first thought that came to your mind was that your mother was already going to kill you if she found out who you were doing your private sessions with, and the second thought was that she was going to utterly slaughter you once she found out you were completely on board with everything that he was implying._  

 _He watched as your contemplative look changed into a smirk. He shifted your positions so that you were pinned between his two arms. “Say it, Senju,” he started, “Say it and I’ll make you feel so good that you’ll be begging for more.”_  

 _Shisui wasn’t the type to be like this normally. Something must’ve shifted in his thinking for him to be so bold with you. What had it been?_  

 _“How are you so sure I want you, Uchiha?” You asked, tilting your head and smirking._  

 _“I’ve never seen you roll your hips into Ino’s the way you did to me during grappling yesterday. That’s how I know you know how to move them.” Fuck. You thought you’d played that off well enough. “I knew right then that you weren’t wanted something more from more, and now we’re alone, I’m hyped off of adrenaline, and you look really hot when you’re sweaty. So I kind of capitalized on the opportunity.” He leaned down to hover his lips over yours. “Say you want this, and I’ll give it to you whenever you want it. No one has to know. No strings attached.”_  

 _“Jesus fuck you talk too much,” you responded, your body filled with anticipation and you lurched forward, crashing your lips together and wrapping yourself around him._  

_You found out why he was so good at grappling later that night._

 

Every month, your dojo collaborated with one of the local judo studios to give an extensive seminar on grappling. It was just to ensure that you’d be able to utilize those techniques when and if needed despite your speciality being striking. During these 4 hour seminars, you typically chose to partner up with Ino, one of their best female grapplers. However, this time around, you made a beeline straight for Shisui, just as you’d done almost 7 months prior. It was the first time he’d showed up all week and the first time he’d seen you in three days. He looked exhausted, but once you had made your way over to him, his frown immediately perked up.

“Feeling like switchin’ it up, Senju?”

You almost melted at how giddy he’d seemed to get once you chose him.

“Only this once, Uchiha. Don’t get used to it.”

Your sudden choice left the entire room stunned. You’d never chosen anyone _but_ Ino for grappling save for the time she'd been absent all those months ago, and for you to all of a sudden switch it up (when you were a sucker for _routine)_ took most everyone by surprise. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances across the room as you and Shisui continued your light-hearted banter.

And as it turned out, throwing you around and pressing you into the ground was much more fun in public than it was in private. You snuck in a few inappropriate tactics but despite his lack of practice and your distracting movements, he won. Again. And again. And _again._

By the end of the night, you were sore and Shisui looked like he was going to fall asleep at any time. You went off to change and Shisui mulled over how exactly to go about it - what he’d come here for in the first place. He’d been doing a significant amount of research, and after finding a symbol he’d recognized on a website online, he’d resolved to confront Hidan. There was no one else he could turn to.

Well, there was _one_ other person, but Shisui wanted to exhaust his resources before falling back on _that_ man. They weren’t on the best terms.

When Hidan felt a strong hand grip his sweat dampened shoulder as he was packing his stuff into his duffel bag, he nearly turned around and punched them. Instead of acting rashly like he wanted to, he looked up in the mirror, his violet irises connecting with the reflection of Shisui’s own. The Uchiha’s jaw was set in a locked position, displaying his dissatisfaction with having to seek the silver haired male out in the first place.

“Hey,” Shisui started, doing his best to bar the venom that was seeping from his teeth to spill out over his words. “You got a minute?”

Hidan shoved his clothes deeper into his bag. “Depends on what the fuck you want, Uchiha,” he responded, a smirk taking his lips.

“There’s a pizza parlor down the street. Meet me there in 30?” The slightly younger male furrowed his brows. It wasn’t like Shisui to ask anything from him.

“I fuckin’ guess so,” Hidan responded. “You paying?” Shisui nodded, removing his rough hand from Hidan’s shoulder and taking a step back. His brown eyes momentarily flickered to the right. Hidan’s followed.

Shisui didn’t miss the fact that Hidan smirked almost knowingly and Hidan didn’t miss that you lightly brushed your fingers against Shisui’s as you walked by. He could see the restraint that it took the raven haired male to hold himself back from reaching out for you. He didn’t miss that the energy between the two of you darkened so heavily that it almost felt suffocating to him. His silver brows narrowed more and he wondered why he hadn’t felt it before - that oppression that lingered on both of you. Maybe it was because it had been awhile since he’d seen the two of you in such close proximity.

“You’re in some deep shit, aren’t you?” Hidan asked. Shisui looked back to him, running a hand through his dampened hair. Shisui looked at him curiously. Hidan motioned towards you. “You and her.”

He took in how much Shisui had thinned in such a short time, how tired he looked, how his eyes had dulled in the slightest. Anyone would notice _those_ things, but the only one that would be able to notice that _darkness_ between you and that Uchiha was him.

They needed his _eyes._

Shisui knew that. After all of the hours he’d put in researching the occult and demons alike, he came to the conclusion that Hidan had long since dabbled in the supernatural. The odd, vibrant color of his eyes had been the first thing _off_ about him that he’d noticed, and despite the fact he’d known the man for quite awhile, he had always thought that he was a weirdo. The eyes combined with the symbol just set it all off for him.

“I just want her safe, if you know what I mean,” Shisui responded, crossing his arms over his chest. “It wouldn’t be a problem if it was only me. I’d just as soon off myself and call it a fucking day if that were the case.”

“Shit like this is never that simple,” Hidan explained as he stood. “Fate or whatever bullshit concept you believe in doesn’t work that way.” Shisui had a blank expression. Hidan rolled his eyes. “I’m basically saying that it was predestined, you fuckin’ moron.”

“I’m actually a firm _non-_ believer in any type of concept like that. Anyways, I’ll meet you over there. I need your help.” Shisui went to leave, but Hidan called out to him.

“There’s always a chance that I can’t fuckin’ help you. You know that right?”

Shisui sighed. There was a chance that _nobody_ would be able to help him, unfortunately. “Yeah. I know.”

 

**_~~~~~~_ **

 

Two days later, Shisui sat crossed legged, candle in hand, with an expression of distaste. His jaw was set, his fists balled into the dark fabric of his joggers. His chiseled face was illuminated by the candles flickering, both of their silhouettes dancing on the walls of the silver haired man’s garage.

He’d just gotten off of work - it was 3 in the morning. He drove straight to Hidan’s house after changing and dropping off his patrol car, per their agreement. Hidan had the candles set and lit when he got there, informing the Uchiha that he’d been set up for an entire day. He was finishing up the markings now, and the blue-haired, petite woman that Shisui had tried so hard to ignore spoke to him.

“You need to stay for the entirety of the ritual.”

She could read the hesitation in his eyes. Hidan continued drawing the symbol around her seated form.

“I don’t intend to leave,” Shisui responded, coming off too defensively for his own tastes.

“I am only informing you. If you leave prematurely, it will only get worse.” Her eyes traveled to his right pocket. “Turn it off. Even if she calls you, you cannot leave.”

Shisui found himself swallowing hard, despite the fact that his mouth had gone dry the moment he’d walked into Hidan’s creepy house. “Is anything going to happen to her in the meantime?” He asked, taking his phone from his pocket and hovering over your name, debating on shooting you one last text.

“It’s too late. If you contact her now, you run the risk of endangering her further. Turn your phone off, Uchiha Shisui.” He bit down nervously on his bottom lip, foregoing the text and shutting his phone off. Konan’s amber eyes were locked on him. It made him uncomfortable. “To answer your question, you have made prior arrangements, so she should be fine.”

Shisui slightly grit his teeth. Shisui came to the conclusion that this girl was a fucking weirdo. She knew things that she shouldn’t, and he knew for a fact that Hidan didn’t tell her. Hidan told him himself that he didn’t say anything to her.

Hidan stood, walking towards a corner of the room and then returning with a sharp knife and a metallic bowl.

“What is that for?” Shisui asked, doing his best to keep his voice steady.

“For blood, dumbass,” Hidan responded curtly. “After I come to you, sit in front of Konan and let the blood drip onto the center of the symbol.” Konan lifted her wrist up and he pressed his lips to it. She smiled softly. Shisui’s breath hitched as he watched the glint of the blade flicker when it made contact with her skin.

“ _O virum robustum_ -“

Shisui’s flesh rose in response to Hidan’s whisper. He held her wrist over the metallic bowl.

“ _veni ad me, veni dare responsa quaerere,”_ he continued, gazing into the container and then made his way to Shisui. Shisui closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt Hidan’s fingers enclose around his wrist, and the silver haired man pressed his lips to his fluttering pulse. “ _cum obtulerit sanguinem_ -“

Shisui let a small gasp escape his lips as the knife pierced through his skin. He felt his blood flush out almost immediately, the quick flow of the scarlet liquid falling into the waiting bowl. Once Hidan took the bowl of mixed blood from his wrist, Shisui hurried over to the middle of the drawn circle while minding his step, allowing his blood to splash over the triangle in the middle. “ _et animo volente, quaeris quid ego faciam-“_

Shisui gazed momentarily at the top of Konan’s head. Her vision was set straight at the ground, and not knowing much of what to do, he followed her lead. Hidan walked over to the two of them, placing the bowl in the middle of them.

Shisui’s heart pounded against his chest. He felt droplets fall on his hair and skin, and his stomach flipped when he saw a few cascade to the floor.

Hidan’s blood.

“ _e mundo tuam obtinet-“_

Fuck. _Fuck._ He could feel the atmosphere in the room changing. The shadows on the walls began to flicker faster. It was then when he began to question himself. Had this really been necessary after all? Why had he fucking done this? He was essentially opening himself up to a realm of the unknown, a realm that housed a being that was clearly after him _and_ you. He was putting you at risk too by doing this. He was widening the crack between this world and the other. He was leaving himself vulnerable to the unknown.

He could _feel_ everything. Konan’s soft breath on his toned forearms and their blood intermingling as it spilled out on the floor. As Hidan’s joined theirs, Shisui’s stomach lurched and an inexplicable weight settled between his shoulder blades.

It fucking terrified him.

_“-abscedat.”_

For a second, nothing happened. Shisui was too terrified to raise his gaze though, so he kept it firmly on the stained floor.

“ _Uchiha Shisui_.”

A woman’s voice. It almost sounded familiar. He felt soft breath brush the outer shell of his ear. He still didn’t look up. He was too fucking terrified. He was sitting - wide eyed, stunned.

_“You are going to die.”_

“Fuck,” he whispered, his breath shuttering as he clenched his fingers tightly. He knew that voice. He had just never thought that he would hear it again - never thought that he’d hear those words from such a voice. “W-What do you mean?”

“ _You are being hunted.”_

Those words sent a chill down his spine and he rose his eyes reluctantly. He watched as Konan’s eyes shut as he looked to her.

“What am I being hunted by?”

Konan’s mouth moved, but the sound came from behind him. _“A being from the underworld.”_ The sensation of fingers being trailed down the expanse of his right collarbone made his stomach turn. _“A demon of fate.”_

“Good to know,” he responded almost too calmly considering his situation. “Is there any way to kill this demon?” He asked the voice - his _mother's_ voice.

“ _Yes.”_

Shisui sighed shakily.  

“ _It is easier to set him at rest.”_

“How do I do that?”

He didn’t want to ask who he was talking to. He didn’t want to know. He figured it wasn’t his mother though.

_“Kill the girl.”_

Shisui tightened his fists. “That’s not gonna happen. There needs to be another way.”

_“Combat him when he takes form.”_

Takes form… what did that mean?

“What exactly does that entail?”

_“He will take human form once he gathers enough strength.”_

What the hell.

“So he’s weak now then, right? Why can’t I end it now?”

“ _Kill the girl.”_

Son of a…

“So if I don’t want to kill her, then I have to wait?”

_“Yes.”_

“What if I kill _myself?_ ”

“ _No.”_

He felt a presence behind him. He didn’t dare look. “Okay,” he breathed, trying to steady himself. “Alright. If I do what you said, will I still die?”

_“Yes. It is time for me to collect.”_

Fuck. _Fuck._ That couldn’t be good.

Shisui felt a sharp pain in his wrist where Hidan had cut him. He gasped softly as the wound began to close. His eyes widened in fear as his head was forcibly tilted backwards. He had done his best to avoid looking at _anything_.

A harsh breath escaped his lips as his dark eyes made contact with bright gold eyes. He had less than a second to search the decayed face of the being that held his own captive. The living dead creature stared right back at him. His heart slammed against his rib cage and he bit down on the bottom of his lip painfully. He resisted the urge to puke, cry, scream - all at the same time. _“You will not find peace before you die.”_

How had it known he had wanted to know that..?

He was too terrified to respond. The cracked, dead lips of the figure parted and he felt his consciousness fading as they approached his own.

He felt cold, rough skin brush against his lips before everything faded to black.

 

**_~~~~~~_ **

 

Sasuke nearly jumped out of his skin at the loud, ceaseless banging on the front door. He righted himself - he had fallen asleep at the foot of the bed with his head resting against the frame - checked that you were still asleep, and hurried out his bedroom door. He nearly tripped on his own shoes that he’d carelessly discarded the night before and wrenched open the door in a flash of anger without checking who it was.

“What the _fuck_ are you— Hidan?”

“Your fuckin’ cousin has been unconscious in my garage for over five mother fucking hours, genius. I’m just here to deliver his pussy-ass back to you.”

Sasuke furrowed his brows and rubbed at his eyes. “Why was he even over there?” Sasuke reached to grab the handle and push the screen door open.

“So it’s got you too, huh? Man, you Uchiha sure have some shitty fuckin’ luck.” Sasuke looked down at his bandaged arm and stepped outside.

“What do you mean?” Did Shisui tell him? _Why_ would he-

“The demon, idiot. He came to me for help.”

Sasuke went silent after that. If Shisui had deemed him trustworthy enough to recruit him for assistance, then there was no reason for him to continue to come at him so brashly. Sasuke wasn't a morning person though, so he had to silence himself in order to stop the oncoming onslaught of crass retorts. He followed Hidan out to his car where a blue-haired woman sat in the passengers seat with her head resting against the glass window. Sasuke paid no mind to the resting woman, making a beeline straight for his cousin who he saw was unbuckled and sprawled out on the back seat of Hidan's vehicle.

"His car is still at my house," Hidan explained as he opened the door to allow Sasuke entrance. "So he's gonna have to come get it when he wakes up."  

"I'll get it for him," Sasuke mumbled softly as wrapped his arms underneath Shisui's armpits and pulled him out of the car. His still limp body nearly fell to the ground until Hidan stabilized the other side.

The two of them walked Shisui's unconscious form into the house and set him on the couch. Sasuke ensured that his limbs were not in an uncomfortable position.

"Sasuke..?" Sasuke's eyes closed at the sound of your voice. He sighed softly as he heard you shuffle over to the couch. “What’s wrong with Shisui?” Sleep clouded your voice, but he could hear the anxiety seep in.

“He’s just asleep, doll,” Hidan answered, crossing his arms over his chest. “He had a rough night.” Sasuke didn’t miss the softer tone that Hidan took with you at that moment. He likely didn’t want to alarm you.

“What do you mean? Why are you here, Hidan? Why is Shisui so pale?” You knelt down before his unmoving form, eyeing the way his chest rose and fell. You let out a sigh of relief.

“He’s not dead, kiddo. Just sleeping.” You were too tired to correct him. Hidan stopped down to ruffle your hair. He turned to address Sasuke. “Well, are you going to come get his car or what?”

Sasuke watched as you took Shisui’s pulse and meticulously moved every strand of sweat-dampened hair from his forehead. Shisui seemed to stir in the slightest at your touch, and you relaxed your stiff posture at the movement. “I’m going to go get Itachi to wait with you. I have to get Shisui’s car,” Sasuke explained. You looked up at him with a concerned expression.

“What’s going on?”

Sasuke only brushed his fingers through your disheveled hair. “I’ll be back.”

His gentle touch retreated from you and you almost protested as he left to wake Itachi. Sasuke and Itachi came walking out together a moment later, and judging from the exaggerated bags underneath Itachi’s eyes, he’d just been woken up. You apologized to him but he just smiled drowsily and sat across from the couch Shisui had been laid on. You were still sitting in front of him, running your hands through his hair. You didn’t look towards the door when Hidan and Sasuke left.

You and Itachi sat in silence. Your hands moved to Shisui’s fingers and you toyed with them without a word. You kept your eyes on his steadily rising chest.

“He must be tired,” Itachi stated, rather matter of factly.

You felt irritation flare up at the simplicity of his statement. “Yes, he is. But this isn’t normal, Itachi. Something happened that they didn’t tell us before they left.”

Itachi sighed. “(Name), I understand that you and him are under a lot of pressure with work, competition, and your schooling. Not to mention that you’re under countless scrutinous eyes that you have to hide the true nature of your relationship from. But I believe that it’s imperative that the two of you get an adequate amount of sleep - and _soon_ \- so that these ridiculous-“

“Do you think Sasuke would mutilate his own fucking arm, Itachi? Because I don’t,” you shot back, your voice slightly breaking with emotion.

“I… don’t. But-“

“Just stop talking!” You demanded, holding both of Shisui’s hands tightly. “Please!”

Your invigorated voice drew a groan from the man on the receiving end of your careful touches. “(Name)...”

“Shisui, are you awake?” Your hands flew to his face and cupped either side of his cheeks. He groaned again and shifted his torso, but raised his hands to bring them on top of yours. “What happened?”

“I…” He took a deep breath. “I feel… sick.”

No later than a second after he finished his sentence, he was bent over the couch, gagging hard. You took a few steps back, sitting by his feet and rubbing his back. Suddenly, a rush of black, thick liquid came spurting from his lips. The smell was rancid - by far the worst odor you’d ever smelled - and his gagging didn’t cease. More came flying out and your nose scrunched up in disgust. Still you rubbed his back, trying your best not to be put off by the tar like liquid. “Shisui, I- oh my fucking god, something is _moving!_ ” You couldn’t identify what they were, but dozens of small, moving _things_ were swimming in the pool of rancid black.

“Don’t-“ he gagged again. “Don’t touch it, (Name). I’ll-“ He began to cough violently, the force sending tremors throughout his entire body. You grit your teeth in an attempt to stifle the tears that were threatening to fall. You didn’t miss the blood that trickled down his forearm that he’d used to cover his mouth when he finished.

“Shisui-“

“I’m _fine,_ ” he insisted. “ _Don’t_ worry. I’m fine.”

His vehemence did nothing to quell your worries. Your eyes went back to the liquid he’d thrown up as he took heavy breaths. Your brows furrowed and you felt your stomach lurch. “T-those are… maggots, Shisui…” Shisui bit down on his bottom lip. His right hand reached for yours and he held it painfully tight. He needed to ground himself, you realized, as his eyes were still closed and his breathing still labored. “I…”

“I’m fine,” he repeated, still panting. “I’m fine.”

“Shisui you just puked up-“

“(Name), I know! I fucking _know_ , alright? Give me a fucking second to _think!_ ”

You quieted yourself.

“There is no reason to lose your temper with her, Shisui,” Itachi chimed in, looking undisturbed with what had just occurred. “I will clean this up. Shisui, please go take a shower. (Name), I would like for you to go with him - at least go in the room with him - if possible.”

Shisui couldn’t protest at that moment. His head pounded hard and his nausea came back in full force once he attempted to stand. Your soft hands trailing up his biceps brought him back to the present. You assisted him to a stand and side-stepped the insects and fluid that scattered about the floor. Your pulse was unbearably fast as you lead him down the hallway, both of your hands interlocked with his.

You were afraid to open the door to the bathroom for a moment, terrified to find something on the other side. While you did hesitate, you managed to find the courage to open the door not much later. To your relief, nothing lay in wait for you on the other side.

You shut the door after Shisui who was holding your hands so tightly you were beginning to lose feeling.

You both looked into the mirror at the same time.

His eyes were pure black. You didn’t flinch, however he jumped back as he clutched at his chest. He couldn’t tear his eyes from it - the skin of his reflection started to peel from its face, revealing thousands of disgusting, tiny maggots. His back hit the opposite wall and he let out a shaky breath. You tore your eyes from the scene - you had to - and reached for him. You jerked his head down to your own and forced him to make eye contact with you. “Don’t look at it!” You whispered harshly. “Just look at me!”

His dark brown eyes locked with yours and he reached out to you. The weight of what he’d been told the night prior settled upon him like nothing ever had before. His chest heaved and he gripped at the sides of your shirt, bunching them up at your waist. “I’m going to die. I’m going to fail you and I’m going to die.” You didn’t have time to respond before he buried his face into your neck and wrapped his arms completely around you. You knew the blood from his earlier coughing was rubbing off on your pajama shirt, but you said nothing. You only held him.

“You’re not going to die, Shisui, you-“

“I don’t want to leave you alone, (Name). I don’t want you to fight him alone.” He gripped you tighter, forcing you to let out a sharp breath.

“You’re not going to, Shisui, you’re going to-“

“(Name), please. _Please_ ,” he pleaded, bringing you into him so closely that you could hardly inhale.

“P-please… what?” You asked hoarsely, “Y-you’re not going anywhere. We are going t-to figure out a way to fight this demon _together!_ ”

Shisui felt his heart shatter at your words. Piece by piece it fell, taking form in the tears that cascaded down his cheeks and fell down onto your dampening shoulder. You wanted to stay with him so badly that he felt it as you embraced him back. You felt his body tremble with sobs that took incredible restraint to hold back.

He was going to lose. He was going to lose you and himself. You were going to die. He-

“Breathe, Shisui. Easy,” you coaxed.

“Please,” he whimpered, his voice unsteady due to his crying. “Don’t follow me. Wherever I go, don’t…” his voice faded into poorly contained sobs once again. You maneuvered the two of you so that he was sitting on the seat and you were kneeling before him, though he was still buried in you.

“Stop with that. You’re not going to die and I’m going to follow you wherever you go,” you insisted, threading your fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

You’d never seen him this way. You’d never heard him so broken. It hurt to witness such a strong man fall apart at the seams. You could do nothing though, no matter what you said, he refuted it. So you let him cry and clutch onto you as if it were the last time he’d be able to do so. You didn’t know how much time had passed before he lifted his head, his face flushed and his eyes bloodshot.

You struggled to keep your composure when you saw streaks of red trailing from his eyes. You took a shaky hand and wiped at his porcelain skin, brushing away the tears of blood that remained. He caught sight of the scarlet liquid on your fingers but said nothing.

You knew that words were useless at this point, and with a heavy heart, you helped him undress and get into the shower. You were going to sit when you felt his arm tug you towards him. You wanted to smile - truly you did - but you couldn’t find it within you. You watched as he vigorously brushed his teeth with his other hand.

You sighed and removed your pajamas. You stepped in with him a moment later, wrapping your arms around his waist and placing your head on his back. You ignored the water that beat down on your head as a result of doing so. You traced the vertical line in between his toned abdominal muscles and he sighed in response to your touch.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, placing his toothbrush off to the side. “Everything just became too much for me all of a sudden.”

“It’s okay,” you assured, giving him a squeeze. “I would never hold anything like that against you.” His eyes slid closed as he forced himself to ignore the sentimental gonna feeling welling up within him.

“You probably should. You deserve better than someone who snaps at you once they get a little stressed out.”  

“That’s an understatement,” you responded. He sighed again and turned towards you. Shisui’s right hand cupped your cheek and stroked the flesh there. You were looking up at him with eyes full of such admiration, such concern and _affection_ that he felt his knees weakening. It was something he’d never felt before.

“You know why you can’t.” It sounded like he was begging you.

“We’ve already been over this,” you responded, a frown on your lips. “I’m going to do whatever I want.”

“No strings attached, (Name). That was the agreement.”

“Fuck that,” you spat. “Fuck the _hell_ out of that, Shisui. I lo-“

“Stop.”

“No! I love-“

“You _can’t._ ”

“Why do you say things like that when you treat me like… like a… like there _are_ strings? How was I not supposed to fall in lo-!”

“Don’t say it.”

“I-!“

“(Name), you don’t. You don’t even know me in-“

“ _No!_ I’m through ignoring it. I’m going to be honest! I’m going to tell you the full extent of my feelings, and you are going to _listen_ to me, Shisui! I love yo-!“

His lips cut you off. You growled in anger and protest, going to shove him off of you. He caught your wrists, pushing them against the cold tile of the shower wall. He pressed against you.

You moaned softly at the feeling of his hard body against yours. He sighed into your mouth. You tasted blood when he did so, so you went to separate from him but he only pressed into you more. You turned your face from him and he immediately went to kiss at your neck. He let go of your wrists in favor of holding your waist. You let out a small sigh and ran your fingers through his damp hair. “Shisui…”

“Please don’t,” he responded, lifting his head from your neck and trying to kiss you again. You turned from him even further.

“Shisui,” You panted as you looked through the shower door. You closed your eyes, willing yourself to continue. You closed your eyes. “I love you, Shisui.” He let go of your waist, his arms falling limply to his sides. “I love you and there is nothing you can do to convince me that I don’t.”

In consideration of everything that had just occurred, all he could do to quell the pain in his chest was to hug you as tightly as he could. He didn’t know how long the two of you were just standing there, but the water ran cold and spurred the two of you on to continue the shower. When you both dried and dressed, he hugged you to him again, completely unwilling to let you go.

He never answered you. He carried on like it never happened after that.

Later that day when he’d composed himself and Sasuke had returned, Shisui checked his phone. He eyed one form Hidan and ignored the various others.

 

_Hidan_

_[ 11:12 AM ]_

_Uchiha, I didn’t get to say what I fuckin wanted to last night._

 

_Hidan_

_[ 11:12 AM ]_

_So I’ll just say it now._

 

_Hidan_

_[ 11:13 AM ]_

_You can fuckin fight this. You don’t have to die._

 

_Hidan_

_[ 11:13 AM ]_

_Fight that fucker._

 

**_Uchiha Shisui_ **

**_[ 12:20 PM ]_ **

**_Thanks. I’ll do my best._ **

 

A sigh escaped his lips and he watched as you eliminated Sasuke’s character in Super Smash Brothers for a second time.

He’d probably need more help than this if he were to fight it.

Shisui felt strong hands rest on his shoulders. He looked up, meeting Itachi’s eyes.

“I believe you.”

Shisui felt some of the residual tension he’d been carrying disappear. “Good. I need you.” Itachi’s eyes flickered to you.  

“You’re going to need more help than us, Shisui.”

Shisui frowned.

“I know.”

Itachi patted his cousins shoulder one more time before he left.


	6. Non Tenebam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE CONTENT. IF YOU ARE AT ALL TRIGGERED BY THIS, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY. I KEPT THINGS AS VAGUE AS I COULD, BUT IT IS STILL SENSITIVE. PLEASE EXERCISE CAUTION DURING THIS CHAPTER ESPECIALLY. 
> 
> CHAPTER WARNINGS FOR BLOOD, SUICIDE MENTION, SELF HARM DESCRIPTION, VAGUE SUICIDE DESCRIPTION. BE C A R E F U L. PLEASE. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. THIS IS A DARK, DARK STORY. I LOVE YOU GUYS AND I WANT YOU TO BE HEALTHY, HAPPY, AND SAFE!
> 
> IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH THESE THINGS, PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF AT ALL AFFECTED CLOSE OUT. PLEASE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE CONTENT. IF YOU ARE AT ALL TRIGGERED BY THIS, STOP READING IMMEDIATELY. I KEPT THINGS AS VAGUE AS I COULD, BUT IT IS STILL SENSITIVE. PLEASE EXERCISE CAUTION DURING THIS CHAPTER ESPECIALLY. 
> 
> CHAPTER WARNINGS FOR BLOOD, SUICIDE MENTION, SELF HARM DESCRIPTION, VAGUE SUICIDE DESCRIPTION. BE C A R E F U L. PLEASE. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. THIS IS A DARK, DARK STORY. I LOVE YOU GUYS AND I WANT YOU TO BE HEALTHY, HAPPY, AND SAFE!
> 
> IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH THESE THINGS, PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF AT ALL AFFECTED CLOSE OUT. PLEASE.

Shisui was fortunate to never have come across a suicide in his line of work. However, as he stood in front of the bathroom door of what was supposed to have been an empty house, he just knew his luck had run out. 

That was when pink, swirling liquid began to leak from the underside of the thin barrier. He could hear bathwater running from the other side, but no other noise could be heard. He took a deep breath to steel himself over. He lifted his leg and kicked the doorknob once, twice, three times before the fucking thing gave.

His eyes narrowed as the bloodied water rushed over his steel toed boots. Not even a second went by and a gasp slipped passed his parted lips, the blue haired woman from before - Konan, if he remembered correctly  - lay nude, her wrists covered in a perfect shade of scarlet. The stench of iron assaulted his nose in a way that made his stomach lurch. 

The water still ran, spilling out over the tub and onto the floor, mixing with the red of her blood. He sloshed over to the tub, turning off the rushing water that had long since gone cold. He avoided looking at her body as much as he could, pressing his fingers to her neck.

Her flesh was cold to the touch, and even after nearly a dozen attempts to find even a flutter, there was nothing.

“Oh no,” he whispered, his dark eyes roaming over her peaceful, soft face. “What the hell, woman?! You can’t be dead!” He whispered frantically, his tone taking an edge of desperation. “Konan, open your eyes!” 

“Shisui.” 

A firm hand. It felt like it slammed down on his shoulder. Shisui’s head whipped backwards, his panic evident in the wild look in his eyes. 

“Wha-“

“I’ve got this,” Kakashi’s smooth, irritatingly calm voice insisted. “It’s not as fresh for me. I can do it.”

Fresh. Kakashi’s father had killed himself too. He had seen his body too. Why wasn’t he freaking out like Shisui was?! Why wasn’t he triggered?! 

“I’m not weak,” he fired back. 

“I would never say that,” Kakashi supplied, already working on closing Shisui out of the flooded bathroom. “I know you are strong. In fact, I would consider you stronger if you were able to identify when you need to take a step back. So, if you don’t mind…” Kakashi continued, both hands on Shisui’s shoulders and leading him out. “Believe me, Shisui, these things happen. We can talk more later. Just let me deal with this. Call for some backup and go sit outside for second. I have a feeling you’re going to have a long night.” 

Before Shisui could even bring his thoughts together, the door was closing. He looked to Konan again-

Chills racked his body. The figure from the ritual stood above her. A gray, wrinkled, decayed hand reached down to her, it’s decrepit fingers titling her chin towards the ceiling. “Kakashi…” he called weakly, trying to call his attention to the being.  

But his voice was too soft. As the creatures lips descended on hers, the door clicked shut, barring the scene from his view. 

Shisui grit his teeth and balled his fists. 

A wellness check. 

That was all it was supposed to have been. A concerned friend, in tears, called in to check on his best friend. He was too shaken to give a name - all he provided was an address - because his friend had been acting odd for the better part of a week. 

It had only been a week since Hidan had done the ritual for him. 

A soft, cool breeze tousled his hair. He didn’t know when he’d gotten outside, but when he had, he sat on the steps. He drug his hands through his hair. 

He let out an emotionally charged wail, slamming his fist on the ground. “It’s my fault!” He whimpered, his entire body trembling. “It’s my fault.” 

He took a shuddering breath, a piss-poor attempt at calming the raging storm that was his mind. Kakashi was counting on him to call in for the paramedics - why they hadn’t come in the first place was the real question - and he needed to think about something else. 

Anything else. 

He radioed for the medics. He wrote a report of everything he’d seen before Kakashi had intervened. He did his due diligence. For any other officer, it would’ve been enough. Should’ve been enough. 

Not for him. 

He took out his phone and dialed Hidan's number.

 

**_~~~~~_ **

 

Never in your life did you think something like this would happen to you. You’d gotten too comfortable. The majority of the demonic oppression had been mostly focused on Shisui lately, so you’d gotten accustomed to having nightmares and puddles of blood popping up in odd places. Of course you were worried about him and your experiences seemed trivial in comparison, but all in all, you could cope what you were going through. 

That’s what you had thought, anyway, until you saw the darkly clothed, pale fleshed figure at the end of the hallway when you came home from work. 

It was broad daylight. The lights were on. Your mother's boyfriend had apparently just left no more than 15 minutes ago because the plants appeared to have just been watered. You weren’t hallucinating. It was real. 

You gripped the thin straps of your drawstring bag as you stared at its back. You swallowed hard and took a step forward. It didn’t move. 

You took a deep breath, trying to focus more on the creature rather than your fear. That was when you heard the sobs. It was _crying._ Sobbing, even. 

Your brows furrowed and you willed yourself not to run. You knew, at this point, that you couldn’t escape. It would follow you. You just knew it would. 

You took a few more hesitant steps forward, closing the large gap between you and the figure even more. You could see from this distance that this creatures flesh was decaying. It was then that the rancidness of the stench overwhelmed you, forcing you to gag and pinch your nose in quick succession. 

It sobbed louder. 

The part of you that wanted to run retreated even further at the sound of desperation that escaped it. Maybe, you thought, that if you could help it, then it wouldn’t bother you anymore. But there was no way you could know that this was the _thing_ that was after you. This might just be a trick or something.

You stopped walking, even going so far as to take a step back. 

 _“Love me,”_ it cried softly. “ _I want you to love me.”_

You swallowed hard. 

“Wh-who are you?” You asked, your chest aching with how fast your heart was racing. 

“ _All I wanted… was for him to love me!”_ It sobbed again, lunging at the wall and slamming its tiny, sickly looking fists against it. “ _And he killed me! He fucking killed me!”_

You felt tears burn at your eyes. 

Fuck, this was so terrifying. You didn’t want to believe it was real. This had to be fake. 

“Fuck,” you breathed shakily, hesitantly taking a step forwards. “Hey,” you tried, “It’s alright. What’s going on?” 

Just as you started to doubt your approach, the figure froze. You did the same. 

“ _Failed,”_ it started, the pleading tone it was crying out in now devoid of any emotion. _“You failed me. And now I’m dead. It’s your fault.”_

“I-I’m sorry, but I think you have me confused with someone else,” you responded, mustering the courage to take another step towards it. “B-but I want to help you.” 

Everything in your body and mind was telling you _not_ to interact with this thing. But yet, any information would _help_ you. You’d know what to do from here on out if you got it to talk - at least you were trying to convince yourself of that. You hadn’t had the chance to interact with anything like this before. You could get answers. 

You reached out for it, finding your body moving on its own. 

The creature whirled around, its old, decrepit hands encircling your neck and slamming you against the hard wall. You let out a gasp as your head made contact with the sturdy wall. Your vision swam and your teeth gnashed against one another. Your body immediately tensed as you tightened your muscles. You dug your chin as hard as you could into your chest, loosening it’s grasp on you. You did your best to ignore the smell of decaying flesh as it tried to maneuver around your guard. You grabbed the opposite side of your own head with your hand and pulled, throwing the entirety of your body weight in that movement. 

It shrieked louder, lunging after you. You propelled yourself forward, rolling on your shoulder and into a stand. You sprinted down the hallway, it’s gurgled screams chanting your name. “Fuck!” You yelled, launching yourself down the hallway, desperate to reach the front door. You could hear it’s quickening footsteps. “ _Fuck!_ ” You lurched towards the doorknob, wrenching it open and falling to the ground as it gave. You felt cold, dead hands clutch around your ankle. You let out a sharp gasp as it dug its nails into your skin, penetrating the flesh. Blood spilled. You kicked it twice in its still hidden face. It went to stand and you flipped yourself over on your back, trying to slide out of the open door. 

“ _No_! _He_ is _back_! _He_ is _here_! He killed me! _They_ killed me!” 

“What the fu..!” 

_Bang!_

You gagged, watching the decaying flesh rip open with the entry of a bullet. Your still racing heart accelerated at the sight and you hurried to a stand before even looking up at the face of your savior. 

“Leave it to that idiot to get involved with a Senju.” 

You looked in the direction of the voice, your chest still heaving and your entire body shaking with tremors. Your eyes narrowed in on the scarred face of your savior, finding a sense of familiarity in his dark eyes. You huffed in an effort to gather enough composure to respond. 

“Wh-who the fuck are you, and who the— who the... _fuck_ are you talking about?” It was a poorly constructed sentence - even you could admit that - but considering there was a rotting, _bleeding_ corpse in your entryway, you weren’t thinking straight. 

“You mean to tell me that my baby cousin hasn’t told you about me? _Rude._ Anyways, introductions can wait cause you’ve gotta get in the car. I’ll clean up this mess.” 

“That doesn’t answer _any of my-“_

“Relax. I’m under Itachi’s orders, sweets. I’m an Uchiha. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.” 

Hearing the name of the older of the two brothers set your racing mind at ease. You exhaled heavily and ran your trembling fingers through your hair. “Okay… is the one in the driveway yours..?” 

“No critical thinking skills when you’re stressed, I take it?” He stowed his weapon and side-stepped around you. “Of course it’s mine. Don’t see anyone else near the vicinity of your house, do you?” 

Your face flushed and you felt frustration well up at his teasing. “I’m going.” 

You noticed that your leg had stopped bleeding. In fact, it didn’t even hurt. You’d felt it’s fingernails pierce your flesh and you knew it had drawn blood. You just didn’t understand what was going on. 

You were starting to get a headache. 

You had no idea how he’d cleaned it, but he showed you a few pictures that he’d snapped around fifteen minutes later. You went to ask what he’d done with the body but you answered your own question after remembering he’d opened and shut the trunk multiple times. It unnerved you to have it in the same car as you, but you didn’t say anything. If he was okay with it being in the trunk of his entirely too expensive looking car, then you’d be okay with it too. 

_Maybe._

He let you choose the music to put on, bought you fast-food, and pulled over when you threw it all up. He handed you an unused toothbrush, paste, and mouthwash right after like he’d expected it from you. If Shisui was always prepared for everything, this guy was _over prepared._ Around thirty minutes into your drive with this unfamiliar Uchiha, you managed to muster up enough courage to ask for his name. 

“Obito,” he responded, albeit reluctantly. He eyed you as you typed away on your phone. “If you’re texting Shisui, don’t tell him that I’m here yet.”

“Why?” You asked. You hadn’t been texting him - he was at work - but you still wanted to know. 

“He’ll flip his shit. We’re not on the best terms right now.” 

“What happened?” 

Obito sighed and gripped the wheel a bit tighter. “Too much to explain right now. But we grew up together, as in his parents took me in. Shit happened and I got sent away.” 

“How much older are you than him?” You asked curiously, wondering how long they’d really known each other. 

“7 years.” 

“How long has it been since you’ve talked?”

It took Obito a little while longer to answer that question. “No idea, kid. I’m not really in the mental space to do the math on the spot like that. Last time I saw him, he was only 15.” You were a bit surprised to hear that what he’d just done affected him at all. He had seemed so nonchalant about it. 

Your jaw went slack. “That’s like, 11 years Obito.” 

“He doesn’t like me much.” 

“Why?” 

Obito winced. “You ask too many questions.” 

“If you don’t tell me, he will. And then the only side of the story I’ll be getting is his. If he hates you as much as you say he does, then I might end up hating you too depending on what he says.” Obito grit his teeth. 

“You’ve got a quick little tongue, don’t you? Fine.” Obito took a breath. “He partially blames me for the death of his mom. She was really sick and the stuff that I got involved in back then stressed her out, so Shisui thinks that I made it worse. I stayed for a long while after she died, but uncle thought that me being there was too distressing to Shisui, so he sent me off.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “We’ll just have to see how he reacts now. I tried to see him when I was in town for unc’s funeral a couple of years ago, but he genuinely didn’t give a shit. Didn’t even answer the phone.” Obito sighed at your silence. “You okay, kid?” 

“Was that a real person..?” You asked him, folding your hands together to stifle the trembling. 

“Want me to lie to you or tell you the truth?” 

“Lie to me.”

“That thing was a complete figment of your imagination.”

You felt your eyes burn, preparing to shed tears. “What the fuck, Obito? What was it then?” 

“You’re in the middle of some serious shit,” he responded. “Shit that you never should’ve been involved in. If Shisui had even half a brain, he would’ve known that.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“There’s a reason our families can’t stand each other, (Name). I had to learn it the hard way, and apparently so do you.” 

You swallowed hard. “Obito, stop being so cryptic and tell me what’s going on.”

He turned onto Shisui’s street. “That’s the thing, I can’t. I physically can’t.” 

You felt like the tears you’d been holding back were about to fall when you remembered the cameras. A gasp tore through your lips. “Obito! My mom has security cameras!” 

“I saw,” he stared blankly. “But I looked closer, and it looks like the one out front has been broken for awhile. The wiring was-“

“No way…” you whispered. “Then how hasn’t she noticed?! It makes sense because she hasn’t asked who Shisui was when he came to get me after I woke up hanging on the fan, but… she used to check them religiously! That doesn’t…” Your eyes went wide at the sight of Naruto sitting on the porch. “W-why is Naruto here?” 

“Because he’s just as big of an idiot as you,” he snarkily replied. 

Your cousin placed his head in his hands and out slipped Sasuke. Your eyes widened as Sasuke went to sit next to him. They exited your vision as Obito parked in the driveway. 

You got out first, running towards the two of them as fast as you could. “Naru-“

You stopped short and gasped as you took a look at his duct taped arm. All of the cloths that had been discarded next to him were stained pink. “What happened?” You kneeled down in front of your cousin and cradled his arm. Naruto wouldn’t meet your eyes. You looked to Sasuke and felt anger well up in your chest. “What the hell did you do, Sasuke?!” 

He scoffed. “You think this is my fault? Did you not notice the similarity between his sudden injury and my own?” You looked back to your cousins arm. “I wouldn’t do something like that anyways.” Sasuke had done his best to quell his flash of rage when you accused him. He tried not to blame you. The entire situation you were in was fucked. 

“Hey kiddo,” Obito greeted Sasuke as he came up to the three of you. “I’ve got a dead body in my trunk,” he stated as if it were as normal as the morning news. “Gotta go take care of it. Is Itachi at work?” 

“Yeah,” Sasuke affirmed. “But I can handle it.” 

“Sas, you’ve got two Senju on the brink of a mental breakdown. You sure you can handle this?” Obito asked, a frown on his lips and crossing his arms over his chest. You and Naruto were now gently embracing one another, completely in silence. It was uncharacteristic for either of you to be this silent, especially for this long. Sasuke’s brows knitted together. 

“Naruto is an Uzumaki,” he corrected on his behalf, knowing that he would’ve done so if he was in the right headspace. “But yeah. I’ll be fine.” 

Obito shrugged. “Alright. I’m going to head out. I’ll be back.” He left without another word and Sasuke shifted awkwardly as you and Naruto continually embraced. 

“What happened?” You finally asked, a concerned frown on your face. “It looks like you got hurt.” 

“Yeah,” Naruto replied shakily. “I was taking a nap and I woke up from a nightmare bleeding. Sasuke treated it and called a nurse. She’s on her way.”

You separated from him with a curious look on your face. “Why were you over here in the first place? We need to go to a hospital. We-“

“We can’t take him to a hospital. They’ll think he did it to himself,” Sasuke asserted, slightly glaring at you. You shrunk into yourself, never having been on the receiving end of his glares before. “He’s got the word _run_ sliced into his arm.” Sasuke stood and helped Naruto stand as well. “Let’s go inside.” 

You didn’t respond, but you followed the two of them inside. It didn’t register at first, but once Sasuke carefully sat Naruto down on the couch, it clicked for you. 

The boy Naruto had been talking about was Sasuke all along. The boy that he’d told you he cared so much about and would do anything for - it had been _Sasuke_. 

You sat next to Naruto and grabbed onto his uninjured forearm. Despite all the shit he’d talked to you that one day, you decided to consider it all water under the bridge. He was clearly being dragged into this now - quite literally - so you had to do nothing but give him your support. You _did_ have to give him a slightly hard time though. 

“Hey,” you started. “First off, you’re a dick for going off on me for fucking an Uchiha when you’re doing the same thing. Secondly, I’m sorry.” 

Naruto smiled weakly. “I’m sorry too, (Name). I should’ve believed Sasuke when he told me everything that one night. I thought you were all psycho.” 

“You clearly didn’t think he was completely crazy otherwise you wouldn’t have continued to see him,” you teased. Sasuke snorted. 

“When the two of you are done being idiots, we need to try to understand why this is happening. Shisui told me that it’s a demon and that the only way to stop it is to kill it, but we don’t know why it’s targeting us now.” 

“How did Obito know I was in trouble?” You interrupted, taking your hands off of your cousin and shifting to take your bag from your back. You went to open it, spotting a red, translucent lighter sitting on top of it. Your brows furrowed. You didn’t own a lighter. 

You took it from the bag along with your phone, taking a better look at it. “Who’s lighter is this?” You asked, cutting Sasuke off before he could answer your first question. Sasuke gave you a look before directing his attention to the lighter. 

“It’s Shisui’s.” 

You noticed the black color of the thick liquid inside. You felt your stomach drop. It reminded you of the liquid Shisui had vomited up. 

“He doesn’t smoke, Sasuke. And I’m pretty sure that’s not lighter fluid in there.” Naruto’s attention lifted to your hand and he took a look himself. You gripped the plastic tighter. “It looks like…” 

“Whatever you boys have gotten yourself into is seriously going to get me fired!”  

You jumped at the sudden voice, the lighter falling from your grip and falling to the ground next to your ankle. 

“Izumi,” Sasuke greeted, rising to a stand and going to meet her at the front door. 

“You need to start locking the damn door, Sasuke. This is the third time I’ve been able to just walk in here!” She shouted disapprovingly. You turned to get a look at the owner of the boisterous voice, surprised to find a beautiful, petite brunette holding a gigantic bag. Sasuke took the bag from her arms and her dark eyes traveled to you. “Is this Shisui’s girlfriend? The girl you were telling me about?” 

You felt your stomach flutter. 

“Yeah,” Sasuke affirmed. 

“Oh, great. She’s bleeding too.” She said it so calmly. 

Your eyes widened and you looked back to your foot. There a pool of blood where the lighter should’ve been and the gash that had disappeared earlier was back and _gushing_ with blood. 

Naruto let out a gasp, moving so quickly that he bent his arm in a way that had him hissing in pain. “Holy shit! What happened, (Name)?”

You grit your teeth, the pain coming back in full force. “I-I was attacked, but the wound disappeared earlier so I thought...” 

The pretty woman knelt down in front of you. “I’ll get to you later, blondie. She looks like she needs me more than you do at this point.”

“Is that why Obito has a dead body in his trunk?” Sasuke questioned, placing the bag down next to Izumi. 

“Jesus _Christ!_ ” Izumi wailed. “A dead _body?!_ God, you’re all insane!” She grumbled, unzipping the bag and getting our medical supplies. “This is gonna need stitches, miss. I have the supplies here but no painkillers to give you while I clean it. Naruto, can you please move to the chair so she can lie down?” 

Naruto moved. As she went to assist you in laying down, a shadow crept over her form. 

“Don’t worry sweetheart,” she cooed as it descended upon her. “I’ll take care of you.” Your eyes widened as they connected with bright, gold optics behind her. The smell of decaying flesh made your stomach turn and before you could call out to her, your consciousness faded and everything went black.

**_~~~~~~_ **

When you came to, a gentle hand was caressing the side of your face. You slowly opened your eyes.

“Thank God,” Shisui breathed from beside you. “Thank God. I am so glad you’re okay.” His soft lips pressed against your forehead. It took you a minute to realize the warm blanket that was wrapped around you was his own. His scent filled your nose and you reached out for him. Shisui wrapped his arms around you and let out a shaky breath. “Oh, (Name).” You melted into him. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “My girl. My beautiful girl. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there. I’m so sorry that I didn’t come to help you. I’m sorry,” he whispered into your hair, holding you tightly to him. 

“It’s okay,” you mumbled into his shoulder. “I’m okay.” You took a steadying breath. “What happened? How long was I out for? Where’s Izumi?” 

You went to separate from him but he held you closer. “Izumi’s still here, but you passed out. You’ve been out for three hours _at least_.” Shisui allowed you to lift your head. You looked up at his face, immediately taking in how tortured he looked. You had to bite down on your lip to keep from crying. 

“I-I saw… behind her was… a demon, I think,” you stumbled. 

“She’s okay,” he reassured you. “Everyone’s okay. Naruto and Sasuke went to go rest after Izumi treated them. Itachi came home and him and Izumi are talking outside.” 

“What about Obito?” 

Shisui stiffened considerably at the name. He seemed to be choosing his words very carefully. “...who?” 

“The guy that picked me up,” you responded slowly, feeling him out. “The one who saved me from that… thing. Your cousin.” 

You could see complex emotions swirl about in his charcoal eyes. “I didn’t know he was here.” He was talking slow, as if trying to maintain composure. You saw him slowly gain more control over them as the seconds ticked by. 

“Don’t,” you asserted. “Show me how you feel. Stop trying to keep it all in.” 

He retracted from you like you were burning him. His eyes were wide now, his throat constricted. 

“But (Name) I-"

“Stop making excuses!” You went to sit up straight, getting hit with a wave of nausea as you did. You fought through it. “I’m not helpless. I can handle it. What I _can’t_ handle is not knowing what’s going on or not being able to help you.” 

“He’s shit,” he replied, his voice completely devoid of anything resembling emotion. “He’s always been shit, probably still is, and unless he undergoes an extreme change of character he will _always_ be shit. I don’t want him around you. He’s a liar and he will do nothing but hurt you. My brother is-“

He winced. 

“Sorry. He’s not my brother. He’s my cousin. It’s just that when I was little I used to call him my…” He paused for a moment. “You know what? Forget it. It doesn’t matter. I never even think about that time in my life and it’s irrelevant.“ 

“It’s not irrelevant!” You insisted. “I want to know! Plus, he said he was on Itachi’s orders when he came. How did Itachi know what was happening? Why was Obito so… _okay_ with shooting someone? Why was he so casual about putting a dead body in his car?” 

The door to his bedroom opened without a knock. Obito walked in uninvited. “It’s not nice to gossip, you know. You should really keep the door locked.” 

You saw Shisui’s body language change in a split second. You reached out to him as he propelled himself off the bed. “Shisui, no!”

Shisui seemed to deflate at the sound of your voice. He took a step back, the urge to slam Obito against the wall dissipating as he felt you place your hand on his bicep. Obito’s eyes trailed along the expanse of your fingers, rolling over Shisui’s arm. “Why are you here?” Shisui demanded.

Obito watched as his bristling cousin simmered down even further. “You her watchdog or something?” Obito questioned mockingly. Shisui didn’t offer a response. Obito clicked his tongue. “Alright, I’ll stop. Just coming in to let you know that Itachi’s calling a family meeting.” 

Shisui didn’t answer that either and Obito left the room. You shimmied out of the tightly wrapped blanket and realized then that you were in Shisui’s pajamas. 

“I changed you, don’t worry.” 

“How long ago did you get home?” 

He felt a twinge of pride when you called it home. 

“An hour or so ago. I came as soon as Sasuke called me.” You looked over to his computer, the time displaying on the screen. You looked back to him. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be working right now?”

Shisui cupped the side of your face. “I took the rest of the night off.” He pressed a kiss to your lips and retreated before you could properly return it. “I had a pretty bad day. I’m glad you’re here, but _he_ makes it worse,” he hissed. 

“He saved me Shisui,” you responded, going to stand. Shisui sighed as you stumbled and threw your arm around his shoulder.  
  
You couldn’t walk with that injury.

“If I was there-“

“But you weren’t, Shisui,” you reminded him with a flat tone. Shisui frowned. “Just remember that.” 

He didn’t respond. He wanted to, but the only thing he could think of saying at that point was “ _I just walked in on a suicide that was entirely my fault and you’re kinda giving me shit right now and it hurts my feelings”_ but that was being too open for him. He settled for a displeased grunt, compartmentalizing his feelings for the time being. 

You walked into quite an odd sight. Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Izumi, and Obito were all huddled in the living room. You joined them. 

Itachi and Shisui were standing and you sat next to Izumi and Naruto. Sasuke and Obito were in the chairs adjacent to the couch. Itachi cleared his throat and gathered the attention of the anxious, silent room. 

“So,” he began. “It’s come to my attention that this situation has gotten out of hand quite quickly.” 

Sasuke’s eyes flickered to Naruto. “Yeah.” 

Itachi looked to Obito. “I’m having trouble articulating my thoughts.”

He took that as his cue. “Itachi’s been having weird ass dreams,” Obito took over for him. “Prophetic dreams. It’s why he knew that I was the person to go to and why the first thing I did after talking with him was head to (Name)’s.” 

Itachi looked to Izumi. “You can still leave, Izumi. You don’t have to stay and bear witness to this.” 

She shook her head. “Not a chance, Itachi. We were together for a long time. I care about Sasuke too, and I want to make sure his injuries get properly treated.” She looked over at you. “I’m not sure if I believe all that supernatural stuff, but I guess I’m along for the ride.”

You recalled the sight of the demonic looking creature towering over her. “Unfortunately, I think so too."  
  
“Are you talking about that figure from earlier?” Naruto asked. Your eyes went wide.  
  
“You saw it too?” 

He nodded. “I freaked out. So did Sasuke. You were the only one that passed out though.” 

“It’s not a coincidence that you’re all seeing the same thing,” Obito started to explain. “It means that the two of you are officially targets.” 

“How come you know so much about this, Obito?” Shisui demanded, his voice growing cold. You averted your eyes from him. You’d never heard him speak so harshly. 

“Shisui, nothing good will come from being combative. At this point in time, Obito is the _only_ one that knows _anything,_ ” Itachi tried. “Obito, please try to explain as accurately as you can.” 

“Intimacy between the Senju and the Uchiha bloodlines is strictly forbidden.” Obito spoke fast. “Our family histories are dark. In between the petty sports rivalries and career races, there were murders, adulteries, and a long, long history of mutual abuse. Our ancestors made pacts with demons to be able to kill each other. They summoned creatures from the underworld, used incredibly dark magic, made blood pacts… you name it, and someone from one of our respective families did it.”

Shisui didn’t hesitate. “Who’s your source? I feel like this is bullshit.”

Obito ground his teeth. “There are books written about it, dumbass. Books that father tried to burn right before he sent me away. I also have firsthand experience, if you want to get technical.” He was hardly holding onto the thin strand of patience he had left.

“Don’t call him that,” Shisui ordered. “He’s not your father.”

“Semantics.” 

“Do you have any of those books?” You cut in, trying to diffuse the tension.

“Only two. Kagami burned the rest before I could get to them. I-”  
  
“Don’t say his name!” Shisui yelled, taking a step towards Obito’s seat with a clenched fist. “You have no right! You-”  
  
“I’m really fucking starting to lose my patience with you, Shisui,” Obito spat. “You need to shut up and listen to me so that you can learn from my fucking mistakes. Do you want (Name) to die?” 

You felt like your head was spinning. “Wh-what? Why would I die? Is it specifically after me?” 

“Admittedly, that’s speculation based off of my own experience.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember the name Nohara Rin?” 

You and Naruto simultaneously gasped. You hadn’t expected to hear her name ever again, least of all from someone like Obito. She’d been from an off branch of an off branch, a cousin of the Uzumaki. There was probably only a mere drop of the Senju blood in her veins.

“My cousin!” Naruto exclaimed. Obito nodded.

“I loved her.” 

Izumi, who had been eerily silent and still, shifted uncomfortably. You felt Shisui’s eyes on you. 

“I loved her and I still couldn’t save her.” Obito looked to the floor. “I did everything I could. I tried keeping her by my side, pushing her away, having someone watch over her… nothing worked. He took her from me in the end.” He looked to Shisui. “Don’t make my mistakes, Shisui.” 

“You’re saying that this demon killed her?” Shisui asked, his earlier fire extinguished. 

“Yes."  
  
“When did this all start?” 

“Right around the time mo-- _your_ mother started getting sick.” 

Shisui seemed to freeze.

“Did she know?” He spoke one syllable at a time. The atmosphere of the room was sharp, tense. You found yourself gripping tightly onto the sweatpants that Shisui had leant you. 

“She did. She tried to help me.” 

Obito knew what Shisui was thinking at that moment. He knew that Shisui was struggling with the knowledge that it had been a supernatural being that took his mother from him and the revelation that it had been Obito’s fault all along. He didn’t know where Shisui was going to place the blame now - though he knew that his cousin had always blamed him at least partially. 

Shisui found himself struggling to form words. He knew that he felt Itachi’s hand rest on his right shoulder - or was that his left? - but he couldn’t think clearly. He had blamed Obito for stressing his mother out for all of those years when it had actually been a supernatural force. He couldn’t blame Obito for falling in love with someone. That just wasn’t rational - he’d done the same exact thing. 

It explained a lot about Obito’s behavior all those years ago. He had been so well behaved for the longest time and then he’d suddenly changed so drastically. Shisui could remember all of the conversations he had with his parents where they’d reassured him that they could handle Obito, that he wasn’t a burden on them. He remembered when he expressed his concern to his mother that Obito was too much for her. He remembered his father trying to advocate for him at the time, saying that he was grieving the loss of a classmate and Shisui’s mother simultaneously and he just didn’t know how else to channel his emotions.  

“Your father thought it was over,” Obito continued. “So he let me stay for awhile. But then he noticed how negatively I was affecting you, so he sent me off to Amegakure. We stayed in contact and he financially supported me until the day he passed.” Obito clenched his fist. “I thought it was over. I thought Rin’s death was going to end this.”

“I contacted Obito shortly after having recurring dreams of Shisui regurgitating maggots.” You heard Izumi make a gagging sound at Itachi’s words. “Over the course of a few days with this same dream, it would change slightly. The setting changed first. Then one night in the dream, instead of (Name) soothing him, it was a brown-haired woman. Shisui slowly morphed into Obito. I hadn’t seen him in a fairly long time, so I didn’t immediately recognize him. Only when the dialogue changed did I make the connection.” Itachi took the silence as a sign to continue. “That happened this morning. I overslept because of it. I contacted Hatake Kakashi immediately, the only known former friend of Uchiha Obito left alive, and he provided me with his phone number. I called and asked him to come after explaining. Not for a second did he protest or hesitate.” 

Sasuke was focused on Naruto. His brother had already briefed him on everything earlier.

Obito looked away from the younger Uchiha at the unexpected praise. “I wouldn’t have gone straight to (Name)’s if he hadn’t called me again in the middle of my drive.”  
  
“On my lunch hour, I saw what appeared to be the brunette woman sitting with (Name) in the cafe. The two of them were laughing and thoroughly enjoying their time together.” Itachi took a second to gather himself. “That was when I knew something was incredibly wrong. I figured that she was in danger, so I informed Obito to go to (Name)’s instead. After doing that, the brunette woman walked over to me and thanked me. I turned around and then (Name) was gone. I looked back, and so was the brunette.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, Itachi?!” Shisui demanded, his sudden spike of rage coloring his face red. “I could’ve gone to her! I could’ve-”  
  
“I’m not so sure. You have your own story to tell, don’t you Shisui?” Obito prodded. “Kakashi told me. He asked me to check on you.”  Shisui winced. Konan’s lifeless body flashed before his eyes. His conversation with Hidan followed. “Don’t tell me that you’ve already done a summoning.” Shisui couldn’t answer. Obito sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Fucking Christ.”

“Okay,” Izumi started, her voice shaking with fear. “I have to admit, I am thoroughly freaked out.” 

Your mind was processing a million thoughts a minute. That creature had freaked out once Obito arrived. Could it have been..? “Obito, was that dead body that attacked me Rin?” You asked, your mouth finally willing to move. 

“No,” he responded bluntly. “It wasn't her body. Demons do things like that to trip you up, to try and stir up your emotions. The more discord, the more turmoil those involved are in, the more powerful he is.”

“That’s enough,” Sasuke chimed in, startling you as he’d been silent all this time. “Naruto’s gone into shock. We need to break.” You looked over at your cousin who’d gone completely pale. Sasuke stood and pulled him up by his arm. “C’mon, usuratonkachi. We’re going to get some air.” 

Izumi shakily stood herself. “I-I think I need a moment myself. Itachi, will you..?"  
  
“I will accompany you,” he spoke as he reached out to steady her. She wrapped her arm around him.  
  
Shisui saw his cousin relax in the slightest at her touch. Despite how angry he was when he first saw her, he sure seemed to warm up fast.  
  
As they left the room, Obito leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. He ran his hands through his disheveled hair. “You should’ve called me,” Obito mumbled. “I would’ve known what to do. You didn’t have to do a ritual, Shisui.”  
  
“What is he talking about?”

“Nothing, (Name). I-”  
  
“He will kill her if she’s left in the dark.”

“Shisui,” you breathed frantically, rushing to a stand and forgetting about your stitches and the fact that you could hardly put weight on your foot. You nearly fell to the floor, but Obito was quick. He caught you before you could. You gripped onto Obito’s strong form and Shisui moved to pull you away from him. You allowed him to take you. “What does he mean ritual..?” A sharp pain shot through your head and you clutched at it.

 

 _You’d followed the twisted, winding hallways until they lead you to a staircase. It was a straight, metal staircase that was freezing to touch. Down, down, down it went - and down some more until it finally left off to the darkest, coldest room you’d ever had the misfortune to be in._  

“It was nothing, (Name). I didn’t-”

 

_A blood curdling, sickening screech echoed throughout the emptiness of the hallway, bouncing off of the stone walls again and again. Tears sprung to your eyes immediately. You had never heard such a desperate, hoarse scream before, and you just knew the person was in pain._

“Don’t lie to me!” You screeched, attempting to push him away. He held onto you tighter. "Stop lying!"

 

 _The worst of the screams assaulted your ears. You grasped at the handle, desperately trying to lurch it open but to no fruition. You whimpered, the loud wailing bursting the dam that had held back your tears._  

 _“I’m coming!” You called out, surprising yourself. “I’m trying to help you! Just hold on!”_  

 _“(Name)!?” Your blood ran cold, recognizing the voice behind the door despite how hoarse and garbled it sounded. “Fuck! No! Get out of here!”_  

_“Shisui, what the fuck is going on?!” You demanded, suddenly getting a burst of energy and trying over and over again to wrench the door open. “Shisui!”_

 

You thrashed against him, and he walked you backwards towards the couch again so that you wouldn’t injure yourself. He let his grip on you loosen and you fell back with an agonized wail, clutching at your head.

 

_“Shisui… what’s going on?”_

 

_He screamed again. You squeezed your eyes shut, balling your fists and banging on the door._

 

 _“Shisui! Open this fucking door!”_  

 _It swung open. Your eyes narrowed as you came upon the sight of Shisui sitting in the midst of candles and an odd design drawn in what looked like blood. He looked up at you and you finally took in his appearance._  

 _Crimson was pouring out of every orifice. Your eyes widened and you took a startled step back._  

_“Please don’t hurt her.”_

 

“That dream!” You screeched, unconsciously curling into a defensive position. “That fucking dream!” You saw Obito’s eyes widen and the two men rushed over to your side. You could see both of their lips moving, but you couldn’t hear a thing. You felt tears spill over.

 

 _Your white dress was soaked in blood. Your legs were covered in it._  

_Shisui stood, his hands shaking as he reached for you. “Come here, (Name). Please come here. Don’t scream.”_

 

 **_“Don’t scream.”_   
**  
_“Don’t scream.”_

**_“Don’t scream.”_ **

It was all you could hear. It was coming from their mouths. It wasn’t from their voices.

 

 _“Are you doing some kind of fucking ritual?!”_  

 _The wicks flickered._  

 _Shisui’s bloodied face fell even further. “Goddamn it. Now it’s too late.”_  

 _“What do you mean?”_  

 _“He’s got you too now.”_  

 _“What are you fucking talking about?!”_  

_“I fucking failed. I thought I could protect you but I failed.”_

 

**_“I failed.”_ **

**_“I failed.”_ **

**_“I failed.”_ **

 

 _You let out a gargled cough and you groaned in pain. You slowly lifted your head again, your eyes widening in fear again as they met with Shisui’s._  

 _The whites of his eyes were pitch black._  

 _Your breath hitched in your throat as he suddenly appeared in front of you, wrapping his large hand around your throat and slamming you down onto the ground._  

_Tears fell freely from your tightly closed eyes as you yelped. A cold shiver ran down your spine as you took in his voice next as it mingled with something that hardly sounded human._

 

**_“Don’t scream.”_ **


	7. Morbus Recidivus

You woke with a start. 

You quickly realized that you weren’t in your own bed - that you weren’t even _home._ It took an anxiety-filled minute to recognize your surroundings as well as the smell of the blankets and pillows that curled around you. 

“Shisui?” Your uneven voice called out, searching for him where your eyes could not find him. “Shisui?” You tried again, louder when he didn’t respond. You shuffled out of the tightly wound blankets. “Shisui?!” Your heart began to race as you fruitlessly called for him. Tears burned at your already stinging eyes and your head pounded just as your feet hit the floor. The pain continued and droplets began to fall down your cheeks. You tried to run, but you collapsed when pain coursed through your foot. You let out a gasp and crawled towards the door of his bedroom. You reached up for the knob but it opened before your fingers could make contact. 

Obito took one look at your distraught face and lifted you, crushing you into his chest. You said nothing; you only wound your arms around him and sobbed into him. He didn’t ask what was wrong - didn’t need to - he only rubbed your back soothingly and held you tightly. He let you cry it out, not entirely too sure how long you were going to take to do so. He didn’t move an inch. 

After you sufficiently soaked his shirt, you pulled back with a sniffle and an incredibly flushed face. “S-sorry.” 

“It’s alright,” he soothed you, ruffling your hair. You let out a shaky breath and took another unbalanced step forward into his embrace again. “I heard you calling for him. He’s not here.” 

“Where’d he go?” You asked, your voice muffled as you spoke into the fabric of his shirt. 

“I have no idea. We got into a disagreement about how to handle things and he left.” 

You groaned and untangled yourself from him again. “Why does he do this..? I’m tired of him doing things without consulting me.” 

“He thinks he’s doing the right thing,” Obito responded. “And in ordinary circumstances, he would be. But these aren’t normal circumstances and he needs help. _You_ need help.” His eyes zeroed in on what looked like fresh bruises around your neck. His eyes flashed with sorrow for only a moment. “Did you do something to hurt yourself last night?” 

“No. Why?” 

“You have bruises around your neck. And they don’t look like the fun kind.” 

Your eyes closed tightly and you clenched your fists. 

You just wanted to forget. You just wanted it all to be over. You didn’t know what these demons were after, and while you now knew _why,_ you didn’t know how to make it stop. It wasn’t just you and Shisui anymore either, it was Naruto and Sasuke too. 

“I don’t know what to do,” you whispered, your voice hoarse. “I have no idea _what_ to do, _how_ to handle this, _how_ to communicate with Shisui. He used to be so much easier for me to understand. He used to be _happier._  He never ignored my text messages and _yeah_ \- maybe it was harder because we were hiding everything - but he was never so _secretive_ with me before! He used to tell me when he was having a bad day! He used to actually hang out with me! Now he’ll say a few words to me and that’s it!” You grit your teeth. “I don’t know why I had to go and fall in love with him! Someone like him would never, _ever_ truly love me back. I was stupid to even think that-“

“Hey,” Obito interrupted you. “Defending him is not really on the top of my list of priorities right now, but he is my baby cousin, so... well, anyways, he _loves_ you. It would literally be impossible for this demon to be after you if he didn’t love you.” Obito set one of his hands on your shoulder. You could feel the rough surface of his hand through the fabric of Shisui’s shirt. “He’s like two harsh words away from having a complete breakdown. He’s having a difficult time trying to shoulder all of this himself. He’s going to learn that he can’t do it all alone, but until he does, we just need to be patient.”

You kept your weight on your good leg. 

“I don’t want to be patient! He keeps pushing me away. Besides, you’re probably lying!” 

“I’m not lying. I can tell he loves you.” 

“You are _lying_ , Obito!” You spat. 

You watched his sympathetic face fall into a scowl. “I have a very limited amount of patience, and Shisui annihilated the majority of it earlier this morning. I’m not gonna deal with this shit anymore. I tried. I’m going to take you to the kitchen so you can eat your breakfast.” 

You took a second to gather yourself and he then walked you towards the kitchen. The smell of breakfast made your stomach grumble loudly, something that caught the blond who was sitting at the table’s attention. You and Naruto locked eyes. He looked exhausted. 

“Hey Naruto.”

“You okay?” He asked, pulling out the seat next to him that Sasuke had just vacated a moment ago. 

“No,” you said honestly. 

Itachi, who had been silently cooking up until this point, set two plates before you and Naruto. You both thanked him. 

Sasuke returned a moment later and sat across from the two of you. “Is Obito eating?” Sasuke asked as his brother set a full plate in front of him. 

“I don’t know.” Itachi placed a paper towel on the plate he next fixed. “There is some left for him should he decide.” He grabbed his own food and sat next to Sasuke. The atmosphere lingering around the table was a grim one. You ate in silence until Naruto broke it, slamming his utensils down on the table. 

“I can’t take this!” 

You jumped at the large sound, nearly biting off your tongue. “Calm down, usuratonkachi.” 

 _“No!_ We have to do something about this! We can’t just sit here eating like nothing is wrong.” 

“Then what else can we do?” You asked, your voice wavering in the slightest. Naruto’s cerulean eyes fell onto you. You watched his jaw set. 

“This is bullshit!” He bellowed again. “Look at you, (Name)! You‘re scared. This guy, this _demon_ is changing you! You can’t be scared of it!” Naruto stood from his seat and slammed his palms on the table. “You have to fight it! You have to take back everything it stole from you!”

“We are still unsure on how to combat it,” Itachi cut in. 

“Well we can’t fight it by doing _nothing,_ Itachi! If that guy Obito is right, then it’s after (Name) and I’m not gonna let anyone hurt my cousin!” 

You threaded your hands through your hair. “I just want Shisui to-“

“Shisui isn’t coming back,” Itachi interrupted again. He watched your eyes go wide with fear. “Not right now, anyways.”

“Where did he go? Did he tell you?” Sasuke asked before you could. 

“He told me he was going to see Hidan.” 

“Why would he do that?” You timidly questioned as Naruto groaned and sat back down, discouraged by Sasuke’s icy glare. 

“He has a few things to discuss with him.” 

“Like what?! He really has the fucking nerve to leave me here while he goes to fuck around with Hidan?! They don’t even fucking like each other!” 

“Cool it, sweets.” Your fingers rolled into your palm at the sound of Obito’s voice. “He has a reason for everything. They might be shitty reasons, but they’re still _reasons.”_  

“You just told me you guys argued! Why are you defending him?” 

“That’s my baby cousin. Of course I’m gonna defend him, even when I don’t want to.” You turned to Obito who was shoving food in his face. “Blood is thicker than water or whatever that bullshit phrase is.” Your face looked entirely too unamused for Obito’s tastes. He came over and ruffled your hair. He smelled like cigarettes. “Shisui might be an idiot, but he’s not a _moron_ . He’ll get this figured out and _you_ will whittle down his pride to nothing so he’ll accept my help for the things he can’t do alone.” 

You decided not to tell him that what he said made no sense. 

“That’s not what I’m doing-“

“It happens pretty unintentionally. And you know what, I think it's good for him. I think _you’re_ good for him, you know, despite the painfully obvious _Senju_ thing.” 

Itachi’s phone vibrated. He picked it up to view the text while you directed another question towards Obito. 

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[8:22 AM]_

_Wanna run away with me?_

 

**_Uchiha Itachi_ **

**_[8:23 AM]_ **

**_Was this meant for (Name)?_ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[8:23 AM]_

_Nope. It’s for you, Itachi. Let’s get out of here. Go somewhere else. Anywhere._

 

**_Uchiha Itachi_ **

**_[8:23 AM]_ **

**_No._ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[8:24 AM]_

_Damn. It was worth a shot._

 

**_Uchiha Itachi_ **

**_[8:24 AM]_ **

**_Come home._ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[8:28 AM]_

_To be honest with you, I’m completely blasted. I doubt I can drive right now._

 

Itachi shook his head in disappointment and set his phone down for a moment, trying his best to stop himself from responding too hastily in his anger. He aggressively scrubbed at the dishes that now filled the sink. 

 

**_Uchiha Itachi_ **

**_[8:32 AM]_ **

**_You aren’t supposed to be doing this again._ **

 

**_Uchiha Itachi_ **

**_[8:32 AM]_ **

**_You work today. Get a hold of yourself._ **

 

**_Uchiha Itachi_ **

**_[8:32 AM]_ **

**_Do Obito and I need to come get you before he leaves?_ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[8:32 AM]_

_Nah. I’m gonna stay._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[8:33 AM]_

_Already told Fugaku and Kakashi I’m not coming in._

 

**_Uchiha Itachi_ **

**_[8:34 AM]_ **

**_What is going on with you?_ **

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[8:35 AM]_

_What is death, Itachi?_

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[8:35 AM]_

_Is it time itself? A place? A person?_

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[8:35 AM]_

_Is it only a concept?_

 

**_Uchiha Itachi_ **

**_[8:35 AM]_ **

**_Whatever you are taking, you’ve already had far too much of it._ **

 

Shisui didn’t respond for a long while. Itachi debated on calling him to make sure he was alright, but he quickly got distracted with other domestic tasks. There was a lot of cleaning that needed to be done, especially considering the fact that Sasuke and Naruto had spent a lot of the night prior playing video games and eating whatever they could get their hands on to regain a sense of normalcy. Sasuke and Naruto left while Itachi was vacuuming the carpets and Obito was in and out, as usual. Itachi heard his text tone from the next room and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of it. He put down the glass cleaner he was using to wash off the windows and hurried over to his device. 

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:34 PM]_

_I think it’s more tangible than most believe._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:34 PM]_

_I’ve already been k̖͚̰͍̻̞̫͉̥̄͑̆́͡i̸̢̛̲̣͇͚͎̙̭̖͋̿̄͌̃̑͆͟s̢̘̩͇̥͙̩̘͊͌͐̌̌́́͒̕͝ͅs̴̖̩̺̹̲̠̻̘̹̉͂̽͆̅̀̍̎̔ͅe̴̛̳̦̪̮͚̬̺̎̂͒͌̓̂͊d̵͚̹̥̲̝̱͓̝̊͋̄̐͋̄̇̾ by death, just like she was._

 

_Uchiha Shisui_

_[1:35 PM]_

_It’s only a matter of time before I ḑ̡̖̞̤͈̖̟͉̑̐͂̒̉͌͟î̴̧̩̻̱̳͚͇͚̽̔͗̈̆̊́̚͢͢s̲̠̘̮͙͇̞̱̦͋͛̽̀͒̾̿͘͜s̴̻̮̣̈̽̿̾̄̓͋̆̕͟͢͞ą̢̭̫͓̽́̂̑͛͒p̸̨̺̮͎̙̟̙̰̀̆̒͆͂̍̏̍̉̚ͅe̢̨͕͖̣̩̪̙̣͆̾͆̈́̋̎̅̃͟ḁ̛̺̻͉͖͎͂̍́̔͠͡͡͡ṙ̛̘̩̻̘̣̝̟̘̱̃̄̈́̅͑̿̓̄͢ too._

 

Itachi’s dark eyes went wide as his phone crashed. He attempted three different times to turn it back on and failed. He swallowed nervously and closed his eyes, heaving a sigh, doing his best to maintain composure. 

Those messages were cryptic as all hell and incredibly concerning. They reminded him of the many times where Shisui would send him a text thanking him for all that he’d done and turn off his phone, leaving Itachi to drive halfway across town and make sure his cousin hadn’t jammed an entire bottle of pills that shouldn’t have been in his possession in the first place down his throat. It reminded him of the time where Shisui had a suicidal episode during a family _camping trip_ of all times and tried to throw himself off a cliff and into the river. It reminded him of all the times where Shisui would call him in a panic only to hang up minutes later when he decided - incorrectly - that he wasn’t worth the effort Itachi was expending to save him. 

He needed someone else’s phone. His wouldn’t work. He’d tried too many times now and he was about to throw the stupid fucking thing across the room. 

Sasuke and Naruto were still gone - his brother was at work - and Obito, as far as Itachi knew, was still outside after he’d stepped outside for the thousandth cigarette. He could only assume you’d be in the restroom or Shisui’s room resting as you’d been earlier, so he started down the hallway. The restroom door was open and the room was empty. He continued down the way. 

Suddenly, he felt something incredibly heavy settle in the atmosphere. He found his breaths more difficult to take as he walked. He felt an incredible amount of negative energy as he approached you. 

You were leaning on the doorway of Shisui’s room, all of your belongings in your arms. It appeared that you’d stopped very abruptly, interrupted from exiting his room. Itachi went to take another step forward but stopped short when you hastily shook your head. 

“What is it?” He asked, his voice coming out much calmer than he felt. It was achingly frustrating not to see what you were looking at. 

“Shisui is standing across from me.” 

“Shisui is with Hidan.” 

“I know,” was your quiet response. “I know.” Itachi went to grab for your wrist. “Don’t,” you ordered. “Don’t move anymore, Itachi. Please.” 

“What is he doing?” He asked, his eyes searching you for any emotion, any indication that you were frightened. He saw nothing. You were standing there with practiced stoicism - it rivaled his own - and it looked much too foreign on your visage. 

“He is just… standing in the doorway of your room.” 

“What is he looking at?” 

Your eyes swiveled over to Itachi. “You. He’s been staring right at you since you turned the corner.” 

“Come over to me,” he told you. 

“I don’t want to move.” 

“It will be fine,” he coaxed you. “If anything happens, I will take care of it.”

“You can’t see him, Itachi.”

“Come, (Name).”

“You can _feel_ him,” you breathed. “I know you can feel him. If he does something to you, Itachi, you won’t be able to take care of it because you can’t see him. Please, let’s just wait.” 

“I am not afraid of him, (Name).” Itachi went to move. 

 _“Stop!”_ You shrieked. Your eyes blew wide in fear. The sheer volume of your yell had Itachi wincing. “Stop it now! He moved!” 

“Where is he now?” 

“Right in front of you! I told you not to _move_ Itachi!” 

That’s when he could feel it. A cold, chilling sensation that curled around his throat. His breath hitched, and while he felt that icy grip and subtle pressure, he could still breathe. He could still talk. 

“Come to me, (Name).” 

“His hands are-“

Around his throat. Yes, he could certainly feel that. 

“I know,” Itachi responded. He felt the sensation that gripped his throat tighten in the slightest. Itachi slowly, _cautiously_ raised his arm and held it out to you. “Come.” 

Your face twisted with an emotion he couldn’t place. You hesitantly placed your palm on top of his and he gripped your hand with an unexpected, bruising force. He pulled you towards him roughly and you fell into him, unable to catch yourself. Itachi felt the pressure multiply and he let out a reflexive cough.

The front door slammed and it disappeared just as quickly as it came. Itachi looked down at you after you righted yourself. “Are you alright?” His pulse was still fluttering. He felt sick, but the heaviness had gone. 

Itachi wondered what happened. 

You shuffled backwards and looked up at him. “He’s gone.” You reached for his face. He felt _something_ smudge against his skin as you went to touch him. “You are bleeding from your eyes.” 

“The two of you have a second and a half to separate before Izumi comes in,” Obito warned. 

You practically flew backwards. Itachi turned around halfway to which Obito cursed. “You’re bleeding!” 

And Izumi walked in. “Who’s bleeding?” The crutches she had brought for you tumbled to the ground in her haste. She nearly tripped. 

He’d forgotten how endearing her clumsiness was. 

“No one.” 

She looked at everyone.

To Izumi, he wasn’t. To him, the fingers you were staring at incredulously were clean. 

To you, to _Obito_ , crimson dripped from your fingertips - from Itachi’s eye sockets. 

“I’m so done with this shit,” you muttered to yourself. “I’m so fucking done.” You procured your phone and immediately dialed Shisui’s number. 

Itachi didn’t protest really because you were doing what he wanted to ask you to do anyways. He did however go to help you stand straight. Izumi joined the two of you at the far end of the hall, standing exactly where Shisui-not-really-Shisui had been earlier. 

The second Shisui answered the phone, Itachi regretted letting you call. The confused, angry look on your face quickly gave way to repulsion. “Are you _drunk?”_

 _Drunk and high, probably,_ Itachi thought as he reached for your phone. You tried to keep it from him but he was taller and faster than you. He snatched it from your hands. 

“Are you alright?” He asked Shisui, immediately retracting from you, knowing you couldn’t follow with your injury. 

 _“Fucked out of my mind,”_ Shisui slurred. _“But otherwise yes… I’m fucking fine.”_

Aggression. Yes, he was definitely drunk at the very _least_. Fine? Not at all. 

“Safe?” 

_“Yeah.”_

“Should I come get you?”

_“Not yet. I’d rather you not see me this way.”_

“Did you have too much?”

_“I limited myself.”_

“What did you have?”

_“A few things.”_

“Why?”

There was nothing but silence. 

_“I fucking got someone killed, Itachi.”_

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Itachi responded. “You’re trained for that.” 

 _“Not like this. She killed herself because of me.”_ He heard distant voices in the background. 

“I see.” Itachi’s anxiety skyrocketed and he felt like the room was much too hot. “Care to tell me what you've taken?” He ignored your various protests and Izumi went to help you, carrying the crutches along with her now. 

_“You’d kill me.”_

“I’m going to kill you either way.” 

He laughed. _“You mad at me?”_

“Yes. Exactly _how_ mad I am depends on what and how much you took.” 

 _“If (Name) is still around we can have this conversation later.”_ So much slurring. 

Speaking of which, you were crutching over to him right now. 

Itachi knew Shisui couldn’t keep this part of him from you forever, but now wasn’t the time. 

“I will be there with Obito later. To pick you up.” 

_“No. I’ll call you when I want you to pick me up. Do me a favor?”_

Itachi took a few more steps away from you. 

“Hm?”

_“Tell Obito to go and fuck himself.”_

“I’ll relay your message. Anything to say to (Name)?” Itachi didn’t hold back the bite in his words. He wanted Shisui to know exactly how upset he was.

More silence. 

 _“Tell her I’m sorry.”_  

And the phone line went dead. Itachi suspected that he hung up. 

He allowed you to clumsily take the phone from his hand. 

“He said that he is sorry.” He looked to Obito. “And he told you to-“

“Yeah, yeah. I know,” Obito wove him off. “He’s been telling me that almost our entire fucking lives.” 

You sat yourself carefully on the ground and cried. 

Izumi kneeled down and soothed you as well as she could. Obito clapped Itachi on the back a little too hard. 

“Might wanna get those eyes of yours checked. You haven’t stopped bleeding.” 

Itachi lifted his fingers and _felt_ the liquid transfer to his skin. He looked down at his flesh. 

“I’m not bleeding, Obito.” 

Obito said nothing else. 

 

**_~~~~~~_ **

 

He spent the next two days falling in and out of consciousness, in and out of a haze fueled by alcohol and what may or may not have been dope. He desperately hoped that he’d at least stayed away from _that_.

The taste in his mouth was foul when he woke, a mixture of the various types of alcohol he drank in the past few days and _definitely_ marijuana. Probably cigarettes too. 

When he woke up, he was on an unfamiliar couch in a house that looked completely foreign to him. There was a bucket next to the couch - strategically placed - and he filled it not a moment later. 

“Finally decided to join the world of the fuckin’ living, Uchiha?” A cold, wet cloth hit the side of his head. A granola bar and a water bottle were next. 

It only made the pain worse. 

“Fuck you, Hidan.” The words caught in his throat. It sounded like he was choking on them.  
  
He wasn't in the mood for Hidan's dark humor.

“I could use a fucking thank you? You know, I fucking babied your ass for three whole days while you went on a fucking binge.” Shisui winced. Hidan was way too fucking loud. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” 

“We never do,” Hidan responded, curling his spindly fingers around the collar of Shisui’s tee shirt and sitting him up a little too quickly. The room was spinning again and he was sure a part of it was because of Hidan’s usage of the word _we._ He wasn’t sure how to feel about being lumped in with him. “I just _know_ your head hurts right now, but all I have is hydrocodone and you’ve spent half the week fucking high off your ass, so it’s probably not the best fucking idea.” 

Shisui took a closer look at the black carpet. “Jesus Christ.” His wallet was on the ground, completely open and the contents were scattered about the rug. His phone and keys, he noticed, were halfway across the room, nearly hidden underneath the other couch. “I don’t remember a fucking thing.” 

“Probably a good thing,” Hidan responded. “But I don’t remember shit either, so I can’t say for sure.” 

It took Shisui a moment to take in how thoroughly thrashed Hidan’s place was. “There is no way we made this much of a mess.” He took a drink of water. 

“Nah,” he responded, picking up a couple of paper plates and crumpling them up. “Couple of my friends came over and things got out of fucking hand. We were all just trying to escape.” 

Shisui felt nauseous. He saw her wrists again - her raw, crimson wrists and her lifeless, still face and her damp, electric blue strands that stuck to her cold flesh and-

“Stop fucking thinking about it. It’s not your fucking fault. She was already struggling with depression.” 

Hidan told him that she heard whispers. Predictions of the future. Warnings. Grievings. Something told him it wasn’t schizophrenia. It had to be the demons. There was no way it wasn’t. 

He should’ve listened to his father when he told him to stay in church when he was younger. 

“If I didn’t do the ritual would she still have died?” 

“I already told you yes, you fucking brainless dork. Her suicide note was written way before the ritual, like you said it was.” Hidan heaved an intense sigh and sat down on the couch across from Shisui. It was a little difficult to ignore the decor - weaponry, odd symbols, and _black_ everything - but with Hidan sitting on that blood red couch with his black button up, it was difficult to pretend as if he didn’t look like he was completely in his element. “Look, no one fucking blames you. Yahiko took shots with you, and if you don’t remember, that was her fuckin’ boyfriend. No one thinks this shit is your fault, dumbass. You probably smoked away your last brain cell.”

“Fuck you.” It lacked any sense of hostility. 

He briefly wondered if Hidan had an extra toothbrush. His mouth tasted disgusting. 

“You say that a lot for a dude who’s only had pussy. Give me a call when you’re serious.” 

Shisui eyed Hidan’s strong collar bones that peeked out through the undone buttons of his shirt. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he quipped. And maybe he would, because if he was being honest with himself, Hidan was actually pretty good looking. But getting his dick wet really should’ve been the least of his worries. Maybe all the shit he’d ingested really did fuck his last brain cell. “I think you might have two balls too many for me to really get into it though.”

Hidan let out a laugh. “You’re a fucking weirdo.” 

“You offered,” Shisui said with a shrug. He downed the rest of the water. “So,” he started, “my brain is still _majorly_ malfunctioning. I can hardly think straight.” _Obviously_. “Do you know if Itachi or Sasuke called?”

“A couple of times.” Hidan placed the trash in his hands on the cushion next to him. “They kept asking to pick you up all weekend but I figured you didn’t want them to see you fucked out of your mind.” Shisui shook his head. That was definitely not going to happen. “Itachi called this morning. Told him that you were just riding out a hangover and you’d call him when you woke up.” 

Itachi would know it wasn’t just a hangover. If _anyone_ would know, it would be Itachi. He probably already knew, if Shisui hadn’t already outed himself. 

“What time is it?” 

“6:30 PM. It’s Sunday.” Hidan gave him a smirk. “Church down the street doesn’t start ‘til 8 if you wanna go confess your sins and shit. At this point, you’d probably burst into fuckin’ flames though.” 

“Yeah. Think I’ll pass.” Shisui stretched out his neck. _Fuck_ that hurt. He’d probably been sleeping wrong. “Out of curiosity, are there any other ways to learn about demons than rituals?” 

“Not that I know of.” 

“And you’re like, an occult member right? So you’d know for sure?” 

“It’s not a fucking cult.” 

Shisui rolled his eyes. “Whatever the hell it is.”

“It’s a religion.”

“Semantics.” Shisui winced when he realized he was parroting his cousin from a few days ago. He was already getting under his skin and it had only been- “so if someone knows about it, then they would’ve had to have done a ritual in the past?” He had to cut himself off. Thinking about Obito was not good for his blood pressure. 

“Pretty fucking much.” 

“What about books?” 

Hidan looked at him like he was an idiot. He felt like one. He’d been clean for fucking years and then spent the entirety of the weekend - when he was _supposed_ to be _working_ \- binging on alcohol and drugs and who _knows_ what else. He was surprised that he didn’t try to contact you while absolutely blasted and try to get you to ride him like a-

That was probably going too far again. He needed to refocus. He didn’t remember benzos or painkillers making him so horny in the past. Was it the booze? 

“I guess. But it’s against the rules.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Basic rules of the religion, dipshit. You’re not allowed to write down the specifics of the ritual.” 

“What exactly can you write down?” God, his head hurt. Maybe he’d take the fucking hydrocodone. 

“What the..?” Hidan’s silver brows knitted together. Shisui felt dumber than ever. “I mean, everything but the specifics I guess. Why are you asking these dumb ass questions.” The fact that he said it more like a statement than a question was proof that Hidan thought he was an idiot. 

That was fine. It didn’t really matter much. Shisui was pretty sure he agreed anyways. 

“My brother knows a lot about this demon. Things I didn’t tell him, shit I didn’t even know.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother.” Hidan shifted. Shisui wondered why he didn’t cuss in that sentence. 

He supposed it didn’t matter much in the long run though. 

“He’s not…” Shisui sighed. He really had to stop doing that. It kept causing a sharp pain in his chest. Obito wasn’t his brother. Never was. Never would be. 

It felt worse because of everything that was in his system. “He’s my cousin.”  
  
Hidan looked at Shisui intensely for a moment - so much so that it made him uncomfortable. Shisui cleared his hoarse throat under the scrutiny of Hidan’s unrelenting gaze and ground his teeth together. He winced. That hurt too. What exactly had he been doing these past few days?

“Obito?”

Shisui raised his brows. He hadn’t expected Hidan to know who Obito was, but he wasn’t all that surprised. Obito had been involved in some questionable things and befriended some questionable people. Though, at this very moment, Shisui wasn’t too sure how different their paths had truly been. “Yeah.” 

Hidan didn’t say anything else. Shisui unwrapped the granola bar with annoyingly unsteady fingers and ignored the pain in his jaw when he went to eat it. The taste of the chocolate chips thankfully took precedence over the taste of alcohol, marijuana, bile, and iron - which he’d just noticed. Shisui hadn’t realized when Hidan left the room, but after shoving half of the bar down his throat because it hurt too much to chew it thoroughly, he stood and gathered his things. 

Apparently he’d let his phone die. He was grateful for that because he had no idea what he would’ve said to you when he was so high that he genuinely had no impulse control. His entire body was sore - it felt even worse than the aftermath of his heavier workouts - and he stumbled about the room, shoving some of his shit in the pockets of the jeans he’d worn over here three days ago but leaving his phone on the couch. He didn’t want to look at it right now. 

“Uchiha,” he heard Hidan call from a room over.

“Yeah?”  He yelled back. He winced again. Talking so loud hurt his throat and his head.

“Go take a fucking shower. You smell like regurgitated pizza and cologne. It’s fucking disgusting.”

“Do you want me to help you clean up?” Shisui offered, pinching the bridge of his nose because goddamn his voice was just too loud. It was honestly probably better for everyone if he tore out his own vocal chords.

“You can help me when you’re done. You look and smell like ass.” Shisui walked into the kitchen where Hidan was placing numerous dishes into his sink.  
  
“Show me where the bathroom is.” Hidan rolled his eyes and Shisui followed him out of the kitchen. They stepped over the slumped form of a long haired blond - male or female, Shisui couldn’t really tell - and Hidan opened the closed door of the bathroom. He let out a groan when he saw the slumped form of an orange-haired male over the toilet.

“Yahiko,” Hidan started. Shisui felt his heart seize up at the sound of Konan’s boyfriend’s name and it completely dropped when his brain fully registered the state he was in. He looked worse than Shisui.

“I know,” the slightly more alert male sighed and wiped off his mouth. “I know. I’ll move.”

“You don’t have to. I can wait,” Shisui offered. His pulse raced. He didn’t want to be interacting with him right now. His heart hurt too much, his chest was aching and his fingers were trembling. He saw Konan’s body again when his attention flickered to the tub behind the broken man in front of him and he swallowed.  
  
“It’s alright, Shisui.”

“It’s not.” Shisui’s mouth was moving better than his thought process at this point. He wanted to run but he wanted to stay put. He wanted to cry and he wanted to yell. He wanted to punch the mirror that showed how fucked he was over this entire situation and he wanted Hidan to just say something. Anything. Why wasn’t he breaking this silence? Why wasn’t he talking when he usually never stopped? "It's not alright."

“I don’t blame you,” Yahiko whispered, lifting his head and trying his best to settle his unfocused eyes on Shisui. “I've been saying that all weekend. If anything, I’m sorry that you’re the one who found her.” 

His silver tongue failed him. His mind failed him. His inherited Uchiha composure failed him. “But I did the ritual. I saw the same demon from the ritual in the bathroom when I found her. If I didn't-”

Yahiko’s face contorted with an expression of deep sorrow. “Please.”  
  
Fuck. He’d said too much. “I’m sorry.” 

“She was already suffering.” Yahiko didn’t address Shisui’s apology. “And just know that she always tried to help people in your position.” Yahiko went to stand. Shisui almost went to help him, but Hidan held his arm out to stop him.

“You’re going to bust your own ass if you try to help him,” Hidan chided, lifting Yahiko up and wrapping his arm around his shoulder. “But you heard the man. It’s not your fucking fault.” 

“But I-”

“Shut the hell up already. Take your shower.” 

“Sorry, Shisui. I really am,” Yahiko said earnestly as Hidan helped him out of the bathroom. “We will talk more when we can both think straight. I have your phone number now so we can-"  
  
Shisui heard Hidan click his tongue impatiently.

“Give it a rest, Yahiko. You’re fucking exhausted. No more talking, got it?” 

“Alright, Hidan,” he complied tiredly. “Alright.” 

Shisui looked towards the black rug that lay on top of the red tile, shaming pooling in the depths of his gut. The most responsible person out of the past three days looked to have been Hidan, which was honestly reflected really poorly on him. He was a fucking police officer. He had worked hard to get there, to impress his uncle, to make the family proud. He was supposed to be the one his uncle could count on to get shit done, to help Itachi when he, a detective, needed an active officer. He was supposed to carry the burden of doing his job right so that Sasuke wouldn’t be forced onto the field, so that he could pursue his career of accounting. He was supposed to be perfect. He wasn’t supposed to fall from grace like this and fail so monumentally. 

His head pounded and he quietly shut the door to the bathroom, trying to prevent Hidan from hearing his pained groan. He gripped onto the dark marble of the sink - Hidan really had a weird taste in interior design, but who was he to judge - and looked up at his reflection.

He blinked once.

The whites of his eyes were black. 

He blinked again.  
  
The color of his eyes disappeared. He had no pupils.

He blinked a third time.  
  
Normal.

Shisui ground his teeth together, ignoring the protests of his jaw. He looked down at the faucet.  
  
“This is…” _too much for me,_ his thoughts completed for him. _So it must be… way too much for (Name)._ He looked up again, finding his eyes black once again. He steadied himself as much as possible before he reached out for his reflection. A gasp was torn from his chest when his hand went through the glass and he felt warm, _human_ flesh as his palm met the cheek of his reflection. He resisted the urge to retract it. “What the fuck are you?” He tried, watching - feeling - his reflection say the same thing. His brows knitted together. “I’m losing it,” he whispered to himself. “I’m fucking losing it.”

A sturdy knock on the door caused him to jump and he threw his hand back, shattering the glass. He cursed, bringing his hand to his chest and watching as blood trickled down his forearm and dropped to the floor.

“What the fuck was that?” It was Hidan. God damn it.  
  
“I-I… broke your mirror.” He heard Hidan sigh and let out a soft string of curses. He was pretty sure he heard Hidan threaten to castrate him. 

“Just step over the glass and close the fucking shower curtain. I’ll clean it before you get out so you don’t cut yourself. Are you fucking bleeding?”  
  
“Yeah,” he affirmed, turning his hand over. Most of the damage was on his right wrist in the form of  jagged, mostly vertical lines. He was bleeding quite a bit, but he’d honestly had worse and right now he just wanted to shower. “I’ll take care of it afterwards.”

“If you pass out from blood loss, don’t bitch at me.” 

He wouldn’t. Shisui would probably never bitch at Hidan for anything ever again, not even internally. Not even if he flirted with you or if you flirted with him. He was developing an extreme fondness for the silver-haired, coarse occult member. Weird. He never liked him before this. 

Shisui stepped around the glass as best he could and stepped over the side of the tub, wrenched the curtains closed, and turned on the water with the hand that wasn’t currently burning with pain hotter than the fires of Hell. The shower head spurted to life and Shisui resisted the urge to punch the dark tile of the shower wall - seriously, what was it with Hidan and dark colors? He’d never seen so many depressing colors since he’d last gone into Fugaku’s office, and he purposely avoided going in there. He’d often try to get him to meet at a cafe or restaurant, a neutral location. Being in Fugaku’s personal space unnerved him too much. 

Shisui figured that it was probably a bad idea to take a shower without at least stopping the blood flow first. While the warm water certainly sobered him up, it made the pain all the worse. He hurried through the shower with the body wash and shampoo available to him. He didn’t notice any track marks, to his relief. When Shisui’s fast shower was done, he opened the curtain (after a moment of hesitation) and found a fluffy blue towel resting on the counter top. The rug was gone and the tile was cleaned of all evidence he’d busted Hidan’s mirror. There were still shards hanging onto the frame, but for the most part, Hidan had cleaned it pretty sufficiently. 

After Shisui had picked up the towel, he found a pair of sweatpants and a black tee shirt. He’d have to use his old boxers but honestly, he was grateful that Hidan even gave enough of a shit to go _this_ far for him. 

He dried himself off and tied the towel tightly around his arm. He probably should’ve just held it there himself, but he told Hidan that he’d help clean and he wanted to follow up on that. 

He dressed quickly. He took his belongings out of his other pants and placed them all in the pockets of his sweatpants. 

He left the bathroom with an armful of his own clothes. He took notice that the blond that had been sprawled out in the hallway had been moved. 

He walked back out to the living room, spotting Yahiko on the couch he’d vacated and a red-head on the ground next to him, a blanket draped over his form. That room that had looked to be a complete mess earlier was now tidied and looked like nothing had ever been out of place in the first place. 

Hidan worked fast, apparently. 

Shisui made his way into the kitchen, and just as he’d done so, Hidan turned his way. He put his things down on one of the wooden chairs “Good, now you can help me with the fucking kitchen.” His vibrant eyes lowered to Shisui’s arm. “Don’t get any blood on my shit though. Should I even ask how that happened?” 

“No,” Shisui sighed. “I don’t really want to talk about it.” 

Shisui took to the table and began to pick up what he assumed to be trash. 

“Your phone is on.” He motioned to the left. Shisui’s eyes followed, roaming over dozens of stacks of dishes until they landed on his phone. Shisui tossed the garbage in the can and walked over to it.

Shisui bit down on his lip. Exactly as he expected.   


_Uchiha Fugaku_

_5 Missed Calls_

_2 Text Messages_

_1 Voicemail_

_Uchiha Itachi_

_23 Missed Calls_

_5 Text Messages_

_2 Voicemails_

_Izumi_

_5 Text Messages_

_Uchiha Sasuke_

_3 Missed Calls_

_15 Text Messages_

_Hatake Kakashi_

_4 Missed Calls_

_1 Voicemail_

_Unknown Number_

_1 Missed Call_

_1 Voicemail_

_Senju (Name)_

_1 Missed Call_

_1 Voicemail_

 

He was surprised you hadn’t messaged him. 

He read them, saving yours for last. Fugaku’s and Kakashi’s were regarding work, the ongoing investigation regarding Konan’s passing; he was pretty sure Fugaku threatened to put a bullet through his head in the voicemail, but he’d been yelling so loud that he had to take the speaker from his ear. Izumi’s were all about his well being and one asking him to call Itachi when he could. _Hey,_ he thought. _My colossal breakdown might just bring them back together._

Sasuke’s were full of threats at first, but they eventually gave way to pleading, asking if he was alright and begging him to call. He was saying that Hidan’s word wasn’t enough, that he wanted to hear it from him that he was okay. 

He ignored how terrible he felt after reading them. 

Itachi’s were along the same lines. He scrolled rather quickly through them, trying not to let them get to him. He did well until the voicemails. 

 _“Shisui, I have been communicating with Hidan, as drunk as he is, but I need to hear from you. I won’t call the police because getting you arrested won’t be conducive to our situation. Please call me, Shisui. Please. Stop this. We need you sober, we need you stable.”_ Itachi sighed. _“Please. And don't hurt yourself.”_  

The next. 

_“Shisui. We are incredibly worried. Call me immediately.”_

That was last night. 

He grit his teeth and clicked over to the next voicemail, the one from the unknown number. This one was from the early afternoon. 

_“Yo. It’s Obito. Itachi was called to fill in for you. Hit me me when you wanna be picked up. I’ll be on standby.”_

Fuck. That meant Fugaku had put Itachi out on the field. In his moment of distress, his phone automatically switched to the next message 

 _“Uchiha Shisui.”_ Your voice was sharp, angry. _“I am **blocking** you until you’re done being an absolute prick. I expect an apology in person _ **_after_ ** _you’ve apologized to everyone else.”_ You went silent for a moment and sighed. He could hear the turmoil you were going through from that one breath. “ _We love you, you fucking asshole. Rely on us, not on your old unhealthy habits. I’ll talk to you later.”_

Your disappointment in him was clear. It made him swallow thickly, the guilt only exacerbating his nauseousness. He helped Hidan finish tidying up the house with minimal conversation and texted Obito to pick him up. He was sitting in the kitchen with his forehead on the cool surface of the table when he accidentally dozed off. 

Hidan clapped him on the back. 

Shisui struggled to peel his eyes open. 

“Did you want the pills?”

“No,” Shisui responded without lifting his head. “I’ll just push through it. I’m not looking to fry my brain anymore than it is.” 

“Probably a good idea, idiot.” Shisui groaned at the sound of Obito’s voice. 

“Like you’ve never done it.” He slowly raised his head and turned it to the side.

Obito’s disappointed expression made his fists clench. 

“You’re supposed to be better than me. You’re supposed to _do_ better.” Obito crossed his arms. “Let’s get out of here.” 

He ignored how much that hurt to hear. 

Shisui went to stand. Obito noticed how unsteady he was on his feet but didn’t move to help. 

“Dumbass,” he hissed underneath his breath, doing his best to keep his rage under wraps. “You had all of us worrying.” 

They walked to the door with Hidan following them out. 

“Uchiha.” 

They both stopped. 

“Good fucking luck.” 

“Thanks,” they said in unison. Shisui and Obito exchanged glances, but neither went to speak. 

They moved to Obito’s car in silence and Hidan shut the door after them. 


	8. Speculum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. My stories are always so Shisui centric. I promise the next few chapters will be about the reader, okay? lol. I'm so sorry.

It had been many years since Shisui had been on the receiving end of Fugaku’s wrath. The second he’d walked through the door, Fugaku had thrown the heaviest thing he could find within an arm's-length distance at his head. Shisui ducked the crow-shaped paperweight - it was actually a Christmas gift  _ from  _ Shisui  _ to  _ Fugaku many years prior - and took a seat on the chair furthest from Fugaku’s reach. 

Shisui had the shit beaten out of him by his uncle far too many times in the past to even attempt sitting close to him right now. 

Shisui looked anywhere else, avoiding Fugaku’s furious gaze. Greys, blacks, and whites made up the office aesthetic. Every now and then there was a splash of red, but for the most part, it was dreary looking. 

“It’s positive.” 

Fugaku’s stare alone sent an unsettling chill down his spine. Shisui looked anywhere but at his uncle, and though he tried to ignore it, Fugaku’s anger choked Shisui with every sharp breath he took. He was suffocating. The  _ air _ was suffocating him. 

How did that even work? 

“I told you it would be, sir,” Shisui responded, trying to avoid his uncle’s fiery eyes. “I wasn’t lying.” Fuck. Why was it so hard to breathe right now?

“I had hoped you were. Hydrocodone, oxycodone, marijuana, Xanax…” He heard Fugaku sigh, and he just knew that he purposely tried to channel every ounce of his disappointment in that breath. “You were raised better than to fall back into this.” 

Shisui ground his teeth together. The last person that should’ve been criticizing him was Fugaku, and the last person that he should’ve mentioned was his father.  “I know that. It was a slip up.” 

“Relapsing on three of the drugs that you used to abuse is not a mere slip up, Shisui.

He was right. Painfully,  _ obviously  _ right. That didn’t stop the ache from the depths of Shisui’s emptiness that called out for the numbing that his highs brought him. 

Shisui cracked his knuckles to occupy his trembling hands. 

“I thought you’d be relieved that I was honest with you this time around instead of hearing it from Obito.”

Fugaku bristled - not just at his nephew’s words, but from his body language. He was challenging him. “Any news from Obito is bad news. I didn’t expect  _ you _ to fall back down to his level, Shisui. I’ve always expected great things from you. All of us have.” 

Shisui set his jaw. He was really laying on the guilt, wasn’t he? “I can’t… you… Can you keep throwing stuff at me instead?”

For some reason, Shisui felt like this wasn’t the only reason Fugaku had called him into his office this morning. He’d hoped by saying that it would cause the older Uchiha to reconsider. 

Fugaku did his best to stem the smirk that curled his lips. He could see the shame begin to flush Shisui’s face red. “Just what is going on with you, Shisui? Neither of my sons were willing to talk. Not even Obito ratted you out - not even after I told him that you’d already confessed to your drug usage.” 

“Sir, I-“

“I have half the mind to put a bullet through your head and frame it as a suicide.” 

Shisui’s dark eyes narrowed in the slightest. 

“I-“

“But that would be too easy, wouldn’t it? I’d be playing into your fucked up desires.” 

Shisui’s brow furrowed. “Sir, I-“

Fugaku cut him off for a third time. “What is it that’s keeping you alive, Shisui? You want to die. We all know this. Kakashi has told me how careless you’ve been when pursuing violent criminals. Your appetite is nonexistent. The bags underneath your eyes rival my sons. There is no mirth in your eyes anymore. It’s gone. But yet,” Fugaku adjusted a few files on his desk. “Much like Kagami did, like  _ Obito  _ does, you continue.” 

Shisui swallowed and averted his gaze again. He wouldn’t be able to face Fugaku now - not after hearing his father’s name. Fugaku cleared his throat, something that drew Shisui’s attention.

“If you don’t look at me in the eye, boy, I will shoot you.” Shisui’s now rapt attention flittered over quick enough to see Fugaku place his cell-phone on the desk, face down. 

Fugaku silently stood in a picturesque display of grace. Every movement appeared to be calculated, as if he ruminated upon each and every swish of his arm or step of his foot. This was why Shisui hated meetings with Fugaku. He was as intimidating as he was perceptive - and on top of that, his nonchalant, cold ruthlessness had Shisui on his knees pleading for mercy countless times before. Shisui had already steeled himself over prior to this meeting because of his uncles infamous tendency to make him feel like he was nothing more than a pitiful insect - one that should have been grateful to be caught underneath the heel of Fugaku’s boot. 

He felt slender fingers curl around each one of his broad shoulders. It was a gentle, soft touch - but the sentiment behind the action was anything but. Shisui wouldn’t have been surprised if those fingers trailed to his neck next to snap it. 

“Who is she, Shisui? The woman keeping you alive?” 

“There’s no one like that sir.” 

He tightened his grip. “Nothing good will come from lying.” 

“Why does it matter, sir?” 

“I have seen this before.” 

“Seen what?” Shisui asked, struggling to form the words he needed to. Fugaku’s grip was slowly getting stronger. 

“This behavior.” Fugaku let his words simmer. “This desperate attempt to cling to life, despite countless reckless attempts to lose it. There is something different about you.  _ This _ is  _ different _ . I’ve seen it though. I saw it once before in Obito.” Shisui remained stony-faced.  

“What makes you think it has anything to do with a woman sir?” 

“It is either a woman or a man.” Fugaku was nearly growling at this point. Shisui could hear the untapped rage seeping through his uncle’s clenched teeth. Fugaku took his hands from his nephew’s shoulders and sauntered around to his front, taking the seat adjacent to him. Fugaku sat calmly, an action that sent a chill through the already electrified atmosphere. “Tell me who it is.” 

“There is no one, sir. After losing my father, I haven’t allowed myself to feel things like that.” 

Shisui had been careless. He had let his initial intrigue turn into curiosity, and his curiosity to want, and his want into  _ desire,  _ and his desire into  _ cravings,  _ and his  _ cravings  _ into a need… and his need had turned into...

“Lost the ability to love..? What a tragic statement,” Fugaku responded, searching every crease in Shisui’s brow for any betrayal of emotion. There was none. “As untrue as I know that to be considering the sentiment you hold for my sons, I know it to be false in a romantic sense as well. I’m giving you the chance to tell me without this… escalating.” 

He spoke like he knew already. 

“If you already know why would you make me say it?” Shisui snapped back. There was no point in trying to avoid it anymore. He had tried his best to stop himself from admitting it - even to himself, though there were times where he couldn’t stop it - like when Obito had relayed his feelings for Rin. At that time, Shisui had equated them to his for you. He had thought about it many times over - that he might love you - but each time he’d cut his thought process short, telling himself he couldn’t choose between you and his family, that he couldn’t make  _ you  _ choose. 

“I need you to confirm it. I want to hear from  _ you  _ just how foolish you are.” 

“I’m afraid I don’t understand sir.” 

Yes he did. 

“Shisui, you know very well that the fall from the highs that love gives is a condemnation like no other. Not to mention, when love is lost or threatened, as an Uchiha, we feel it deeper than others.” Fugaku’s face was set in a permanent scowl. 

“I know that. But I’m not in love. I’m just struggling with-“ Fugaku crossed his arms and tilted his head. 

Shisui stopped speaking. It was futile. It really was. He knew already. “Uncle,” he started, forgoing his honorific. “I just wanted to-“

“Nephew, I  _ know _ that you are a blood traitor.” 

Fuck. Fuck fuck  _ fuck!  _ Shisui immediately forced himself to take a large gulp of air, attempting to calm himself from the impending panic attack he knew was coming. 

He didn’t want this. He didn’t want Fugaku to know. Fuck. He had never wished that he could turn back time more than he did now. This wasn’t supposed to happen. No one was supposed to find out about you. He’d been stupid to openly flaunt you to Sasuke. He’d been an idiot to make things so obvious at your party. Initially he was only trying to chase that high - that insane feeling that you gave him with each grin, with each flirtatious swing of your hips in his direction. He just wanted to know how your skin would feel underneath his fingertips and how delicious your lips would taste as they formed his name. He just wanted to know how beautiful you looked curled around him, sweat forming on your crown and your mouth occupied with-

Fuck. He’d never meant to fall in love with you. 

But he had. 

“I’m far from a blood traitor, uncle.” 

Nothing so forbidden could feel this good. Nothing so  _ wrong  _ could feel so right. There was no such thing as a blood traitor. Not when his blood ached so hollowly to lie with yours. Not when you filled the void that consumed each and every emotion he felt, the emptiness that was never fully satisfied unless he was with you. 

“Which one is it, Shisui?” He asked again, one finger tapping against the handrest. “Is it Uzumaki Karin?” 

“Uncle, I have no idea who that is,” Shisui spoke earnestly. “So I’m not-“

Fugaku leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Then it’s  _ that woman _ you used to train with. Senju (Name).” 

He bit his tongue, resisting the urge to chide his uncle for referring to you so disrespectfully. 

“No, sir. I-“

Fugaku glowered. “So we’re back to sir now, Shisui?” 

Shisui curled his fingers into his palms. To think something so minuscule like switching back to a respectful tone could’ve given him away. 

“Please just let this be, uncle,” Shisui pleaded, looking down at the ground. 

“I want to hear you say it.” Fugaku shifted in the slightest. Shisui caught the subtle flick of his wrist as he reached for his waistline and sighed, unsurprised when Fugaku brandished a .22 and placed it on his own lap. “To satisfy my curiosity, so to speak.” 

Bullshit. Bullshit  _ bullshit.  _ It was a threat. Fugaku wasn’t the type to hesitate when it came to putting a bullet through someone’s head, he doubted he would for his own nephew either. 

This was not the way he wanted this to end. He had only been trying to fill the void he felt with  _ you _ . He’d only been trying to find something to live for,  _ someone  _ to live for. The inevitability of your eventual separation was undeniable, but Shisui didn’t think it would have to be so soon. He had lost himself in all of the emotions he felt towards you, and as he ruminated over it now, he found that release was never the only thing he was chasing. He was chasing  _ you _ \- you as a  _ whole _ . Your smile, your touch, your love. 

“Uncle…” 

“Things will be much easier for you if you comply, Shisui.” 

Shisui hung his head low.

It was too late. There would be no way he could talk his way out of this. His uncle knew. Somehow, the two of you had gotten exposed. He knew it hadn’t been his cousins. It had been his own behavior. He couldn’t salvage this. 

But he was going to try anyway. 

“I swear, uncle. I don’t love her.”

“ _ Who _ are you in love with, Shisui?”

“I’m not… I swear, there’s no one,” he whispered softly.

“I couldn’t hear you. Lift your head, boy.” He could hear Fugaku’s patience whittling away with every word he spoke. 

“I am not in love with her, uncle.” 

_ Deny deny deny.  _ He’d been denying it to himself for long enough, it almost felt like second nature to do so out loud. Fugaku’s eyes searched him. The two of them settled into a lengthy, heavy silence. Shisui was thoroughly unnerved by now and his heart wouldn’t stop fluttering. He wasn’t sure what there was to gain from this conversation, but Fugaku always had a reason for everything. There had to be something. 

“I can see it Shisui. At the mention of her name, you gave it all away with that faraway, fond look in your eye.” 

Shisui swallowed and stood from his spot, lowering himself to his knees and pressing his forehead to his hands. 

It was all he could do now. It was over. 

“Uncle, I am terribly sorry for dishonoring the family. I will do everything in my power to redeem myself in your eyes. I will do anything. Please,  _ please  _ just let this go. I can’t hurt her…” He took another deep breath. “Please don’t harm her, don’t tell her family.” 

He was begging again. Every time he saw Fugaku, he’d end up begging for  _ something.  _ More time, more leniency, to keep Sasuke and Itachi off the field and out of danger, to forgive him for stepping out of line, to forgive him for tainting the illustrious name of the Uchiha-

“You know that I can’t simply ignore this.” 

Shisui was motionless. His thoughts were eerily clear, something that hadn’t happened to him in years. 

“What will you do, uncle?” 

Fugaku didn’t answer. He waited so long that Shisui raised his head to look up at him. He was looking down at him, something akin to pity shining in his chocolate eyes. 

“You have to make your choice, Shisui.” 

Shisui shut his eyes tight and bowed his head again. Fuck. He couldn’t choose. He should’ve been more careful. He should’ve been more inconspicuous. This was all his fault. “Please,” he started again, his voice slightly breaking. “Please don’t make me choose.” 

“Your heart cannot be torn between the Senju and the Uchiha, Shisui. Your current predicament is testament to that.” Fugaku reached down and pulled him roughly to a stand. He placed the weapon in his hand. “You have two choices: kill me where we stand now and continue your illicit relations, leading to death for the both of you, or abandon the Senju woman.” 

Shisui tried to force the weapon back into Fugaku’s hands, but he failed. Fugaku’s fist was balled tightly. 

“I-I can’t do that.” Shisui set the gun down on Fugaku’s desk. “What do you mean by my current predicament? How much do you know?”

Fugaku reached for the weapon and shoved it into Shisui’s hand. “Enough to know that this woman will be the death of you.” 

“Uncle, I-“

“You’ve made your bed, nephew. Now it’s time for you to lie in it. Make your choice.” Fugaku jerked his head in the direction where a large picture was framed on the wall. Shisui followed the motion with his eyes. His heart sank.

Shisui, Itachi, Sasuke, and Fugaku himself were standing side by side, arms wound around one another. It was the single most intimate photo they’d ever taken with one another. 

“You’d be losing a lot more than the three of us, Shisui. Mikoto adores you. The others revere you. You would be forsaking everything you’ve built - everything your father passed down to you - by pursuing this Senju woman. You’re risking your life - and hers - by continuing this ridiculous affair. Leave it be. Let her go.” 

Fugaku watched intently as Shisui stared down at the weapon in his hands. “Let her go,” Fugaku urged again, knowing his nephew’s thoughts were tumultuous. “If you just let the love die, you can live. You can both move on.” 

“But…” Shisui’s grip on the .22 tightened and he fell backwards into the chair as if he was exhausted. His face displayed the conflict he felt. “I…” He let out a shaky breath. Shisui grit his teeth and slammed his free fist down on the armrest.

He couldn’t run from it anymore.

“I’m just _so_ _in_ _love_ with her.”

“I know.” 

“I love (Name),” he said again, testing the way his admission felt on his lips. Feelings of relief and dread simultaneously crashed over him. He felt the weight that the continuous denial of his feelings pressed upon him disappear instantaneously. Instead, washing over him was the crushing, overwhelming feeling of helplessness. “I love her so fucking much. She’s everything I need exactly when I need it most. She’s never stopped reaching for me, not even when I pushed her away. She’s never hesitated to put me in my place. She’s always supported me and-”

“I know, Shisui.” 

They fell silent. Shisui closed his eyes in quiet contemplation before opening them again, focusing solely on Fugaku. “How am I supposed to leave someone I love like this, uncle?” 

“You have to,” Fugaku responded, “You  _ need _ to hurt her. You have to do something to get her to fall out of love with you.” 

“That’s too much to ask of me,” Shisui refuted, “she deserves to know everything. I’ve hurt her too much already. It would devastate her.” 

“This terror will not stop unless the connection between the two of you does. She  _ needs _ to be hurt, Shisui.” 

He had to remind himself that Fugaku knew of the demon. 

Of course he knew. He probably had known with Obito too.

“I don’t want to break her heart.” 

“Think of it this way,” Fugaku leaned forward to take the gun from Shisui’s lap. “If you leave her now, you immortalize yourself in her memory. You will forever live on in her head because of your great influence on her. She will forever remember you and all of your experiences together.” 

Shisui’s pointer finger curled around the gun, preventing Fugaku from reclaiming it. “Why, uncle, does it sound like you know that from experience?” 

Fugaku tensed. 

“I loved another woman, of course. Long ago. I left her to better my prospects for the future.” 

Shisui loosened his grip. Fugaku untangled it from his grasp. 

“In the same way?” 

That had swayed him. He had made his decision. 

“Yes. In the same way.” 

“And it worked out for you?” 

Fugaku stood and walked away from Shisui whose expression betrayed how conflicted he was.

“I’ll allow you to decide that for yourself.” Fugaku placed the gun on his desk and sat behind it. “I can tell that the emotion you’re feeling is solely because you’ve already made your choice.” 

“I…” Shisui leaned forward and grabbed his head in his hands. “I know what I have to do, but…”

“You’ve made the right decision, Shisui. She will look back and thank you for it one day.” Shisui gave him an incredulous look, one full of conflict and hesitance. Fugaku began to look through numerous files on his desk. “I’m afraid I’ve already spent too much time on this issue. I’m supposed to be in a meeting with Yashiro. You’re dismissed for the remainder of today. Come back tomorrow when you’re finished with what you have to do.” 

Shisui didn’t say another word. He stood up and walked out with his head held high and his fists clenched. His jaw was taut and his mind was clouded with thoughts of you. 

He had been tempted to remove his badge and leave it on Fugaku’s desk as he left, but he knew that it was futile. He’d already decided that he’d have to leave you. It was what was best for your safety. If he managed to break your heart thoroughly enough for you to hate him, he might be able to get rid of the curse. He would have Obito watch you until that happened. 

Just as he walked out the doors of the police station, his cousin was waiting for him. Upon seeing the look on Shisui’s face, Obito scowled. 

He knew that look. 

“Don’t you fucking do it, Shisui.”

“Shut the fuck up. You don’t understand what I’m-“

“I understand  _ exactly _ what you’re fucking thinking and it’s not gonna work.” 

“How do you know that?” Shisui fired back, climbing into the passenger side of Obito’s vehicle. He was unsurprised when he heard a loud bang come from the other side of Obito’s car. The drivers door then opened and he climbed in. Obito’s hand was red like he’d just punched something. He was clearly  _ still  _ pissed judging by the way he held himself. 

“I tried it too,” Obito spoke through his teeth. “And Rin still ended up dead. Just because you try to break her heart doesn’t mean she won’t continue to love you.” 

“Bullshit. (Name) isn’t anything like Rin. She isn’t soft. If I hurt her, she’ll hate me. That’s just how she-”

“It has nothing to do with being soft, you fucking  _ idiot.  _ You can’t just stop loving someone.” 

Shisui fell silent. 

“Did you dent your car?” Shisui asked finally. Obito tensed his jaw. Shisui looked away again. “Are you really that mad about it?” 

“The car doesn’t matter,” Obito sighed, frustrated. “You’re going to have the blood of someone you love on your hands if you leave her Shisui. You have to protect her. It’s after  _ her  _ more than you.” 

“You don’t know that.” Obito didn’t answer. Shisui closed his eyes. “You worked hard for this car, Obito.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” he insisted. “I worked harder to save Rin and that didn’t fucking matter either.” 

“There’s no telling that the same thing is gonna happen again. Our situations are completely different. You can’t just make assumptions.” 

“But my experiences are the only thing we have Shisui. You can’t fucking leave her. She’s not safe.”

“I don’t have any other choice. If I leave the family I won’t have Itachi and Sasuke anymore. It’s not a simple choice.” 

“Yeah, I know it’s not. I had to make that choice.” 

Shisui’s head whipped towards Obito. “I thought you said dad sent you away because of me.”

“I can’t say the truth around Itachi and Sasuke. They would be angry with Fugaku if they knew how he really runs shit.” 

Shisui looked back out the window. He didn’t want to leave you, but he also didn’t want Fugaku to take Sasuke and Itachi away from him. He didn’t want to be sent away or targeted by the other Uchiha if he didn’t listen to their orders. 

“What should I do? I don't want to leave them either.” 

Obito said. “We can try it your way first just to remove some of Fugaku’s suspicions. I can watch over her for a week or two. When - not if - it doesn’t work at the end of two weeks, then we’re going to try something different.” 

“Like what?” Shisui questioned, relieved it wasn’t going to take much to convince Obito to at least try. 

“We take Itachi, (Name), and Sasuke. Naruto too so they don’t flip out. We leave.” 

“Where do we go?” 

“Do you remember the place we went for vacations as kids?” 

Shisui hummed in acknowledgment. “Tsukiyomi Cove… but it’s probably snowing up there right now.” 

“Going there would be best.” 

Shisui withdrew. He didn’t want to answer. There were far too many things running through his mind. He had made up his mind to leave you, but with each second that passed, his certainty waned. He didn’t know if it was the right thing to do. 

“Obito, if we isolate ourselves from the rest of the world, the demon will take that as an opportunity to eliminate us. For good.” 

Obito stayed silent. The two sat alone and Shisui looked down at the car’s carpet in contemplative gloom. “You know, it would be a good opportunity to get rid of it. No one else will get involved.” Obito looked over at his younger cousin, sympathy shining in his gaze. 

Shisui nodded. “I thought so too.” Obito pulled in front of Shisui’s house.

Itachi wasn’t there. 

Obito then put it in park and rested his head against the back of his seat. “Did he ask you where I was staying?” 

“No. He probably knows you’re with me. No one else is stupid enough to let you in their house willingly,” Shisui scoffed. “Except for Kakashi. Maybe.” 

“Nah,” Obito disagreed. “It definitely wouldn’t be willingly. I’d have to break in, but he wouldn’t kick me out at least.” Shisui chuckled softly, running a hand through his hair. 

“Well,” he started, “this has officially been one of the worst days of my life. I thought it was supposed to be a happy thing when you realize you’re in love.” 

“You’ve  _ been _ in love, idiot. Whenever this shit started happening is when your brain malfunctioned and decided to get all attached to a Senju,” Obito informed him. “Literally.” 

“Wait. Wait, wait wait  _ wait _ .” Shisui sat straighter in his seat. “You’re saying I fell in love with her like… months ago?” 

“You’re a moron,” Obito huffed with a roll of his eyes. “Let’s get out of the car and go talk with the others. They need to know our plan and of the potential consequences too.”

“We can't just tell them that they have to leave with us if they don’t want to.” 

“Yes we can, idiot.” 

Shisui climbed out ahead of Obito. 

“Pretty sure that’s considered kidnapping.”

Despite being awake since the early hours of the morning, Shisui only now noticed the smell of the previous night's rainfall. The cold, crisp winter afternoon seemed dull due to the lack of sunlight. The heavy, dark clouds hid it from view. 

“Nothing I haven’t done before.” Obito shrugged nonchalantly. Shisui scoffed and shook his head.

They walked to the front door and Shisui unlocked it. As soon as he’d stepped in, he heard a frantic voice call out to him. “Was that Naruto?” Shisui asked Obito, looking behind him as he entered the house.

“Dunno,” he responded, shutting and locking the door. He then unlocked and then locked it a second time.  A natural process for an extremely paranoid member of the Uchiha family. Lock, unlock, and then lock again. It was so ingrained in each of them that none of them even noticed they were doing it anymore. 

Shisui heard the yell again, followed by loud, dramatic banging coming from what he assumed to be Sasuke’s room. 

Shisui took a deep breath and held it for a moment, preparing himself mentally. He was likely going to walk right in to another one of this demon’s traps. Naruto sounded overwrought with panic. “Fuck.” He swallowed the fear that had edged up his throat. He walked to Sasuke’s door. Naruto was still banging against it and calling out for Shisui. 

“Naruto! I’m here!” He responded, reaching for the knob. 

“Wait!” Obito yelled, lunging for Shisui. “Don’t touch the-!”

White hot pain shot up Shisui’s arm. “Fuck!” He fell to his knees, clutching his right hand as it seared in almost unbearable pain. He grit his teeth and pressed his spontaneously sweating forehead to the ground. Naruto called Shisui’s name again. Shisui breathed deeply to take his mind off the pain. He felt Obito kneel next to him and he shook his head. “I’m fine. Just break that fucking door down!” 

Obito didn’t respond but stood. His eyes briefly flashed over the glowing red knob and took a few steps back. He rushed forward and kicked where he knew the locking mechanism to be. 

The door flew open and his eyes widened at the scene. Naruto was covered in blood - it was gushing from his knuckles and Obito quickly assessed his state of mind. He was angry, confused, and scared. 

The entire room was in disarray. Sasuke’s things were thrown about carelessly. Blood stained the carpet in various areas of the room and there was glass everywhere. 

“It attacked us! Sasuke’s in the mirror! I can’t get him out no matter what I try!” 

Obito furrowed his brows. “In the mirr-?” 

His mouth dropped. Sasuke was literally  _ in  _ the mirror, but he was hunched over and covered in a fair amount of blood himself. 

“I don’t think he can hear me,” Naruto explained. “I’ve tried everything. I even tried to break it but it just shatters and then fixes itself. We have to get him out!” 

Shisui walked into the room, still holding his wrist with a grimace on his face. He looked at the blood and shards that coated the floor and Naruto’s clothes and cursed lowly. “I have no idea how to get him out but-”

Before Shisui could finish his sentence, the power shut off and the room went eerily silent. A blaring ring cut the unnerving quiet short and it didn’t take long for Shisui to realize it was coming from his cell phone. He ceased cradling his hand and drew it from his pocket. 

A text from you was all that he saw. It took him by surprise considering you’d told him that you blocked him, but he remembered not even a moment later that the demon used to communicate with you that way. If it was from the demon, maybe he could use it to find a way to get Sasuke out. 

He turned on his phone’s flashlight and then opened the message. 

 

**_Senju (Name)_ **

**_Ẏ̵̢̤̗͈o̸̠͗͌̆͠ů̶̪̭̘̑͘ ̵̜̤̓w̴̨̬̞̠͆̈͝î̴̡̑͐́l̴̢̢̲̯̟̐l̷̟̥̹͑̕ ̸̛̩̈̄ď̶̲͌į̶̻̥͓̽̏e̶͚̗͖͖͛͐̆̈́.̷̝͔̱̅̿͊̎̐ͅ ̷̦A̷̜̲͘ͅg̵̲̅̕ȃ̸̛̤̳͍̈́̋̄i̶͉̭̻̻͇̽n̴̢̲̈́͝ ̷̢̝͔͉̿̀̓̉̾ͅa̸̛̫̣ǹ̸͍̹̣̣̯̊͑͠d̷̰̖͠ ̵̯̦̬̫̬͐̔͆͌a̸͉̯̥͐͐̃g̷͙͖̠̣͆͌̋̅̚ä̵͖͚̪̣́i̵̮̣̞̎ń̷̬̘͉͠͝ ̷̼͎̩̱̙͛̉͘a̴̳͌n̵̦͌̇͝d̸͉̎ ̵̨̰̺̹͉̍̾a̴̲̩g̴̨͎͑̃á̴̫̺͇̽i̷̬̯̮͒̊͐̕͜n̴̯͎̫͍͓͐̋_ **

 

His phone started to malfunction. 

  
  


**_S̶̛͕͙̠̘̓͑̾͑͂͛̒̏̓̀̄̕ę̴̩̜̭̜̰̜͚̥̟̲̪͇́̊͂͐̆̑͘͘n̴̡̧̻͈̖̥̳̠̞̅̒̀j̴̞̼̻̩͕̓͆̈́̌͛͊͆̃̍̓͗̚ư̵̧̡̧͓̭͇̼̱̲̬͍̝͚͈̊̄͆͌̾̆̀̋͒ (N̷̛̥̗͇̱̩̳̥͔̔͂̑̃̑͐̌̾̑̽͊͐̌͋̾̿̓̕̕͘͜͝͠ä̴̢̮͈̤͚̠͈̳̮̲̬̠͍͎̦̼̠̝̬́͆̏̽̀͗͒͋̔̀̎̌͆̔̇̓͂͗̒̍̐̀̽͛͆̔̀́̍͒̊̓̒̕̕̚͜͠͝͝͝͝͝m̴̢̧̢̢̢̨̮̱̼̞͖̹̩͕̳̝̟͕̟̮̥͍̦̱̜̦̤̰̻̘̼̣͎̬͕̠̩̤̎ͅe)_ **

**_Ÿ̴̛͓̉̌̏͆̊o̷̧̙͊͊̽̓̐̑u̷̺̩̭̝̾̐̄͋ ̴̎́̆̍̄͌͜c̶̡̗̳̲̝̙̻͆̉̽͑̿͘á̸͉ņ̶̰̜͔̝͕̤͂͂͋͐n̷̛͚͈͉̹͖̥̒͋̏͜ǫ̷̨̡͖̭̽̅̇͒͠t̴̯̱̰͌̅͛͘ ̵̧̼̠̞͕͋͂̍͑̿͠s̷̡͕̰͔̜̓̓͘͝a̴͙͐́͛̊̀̚v̴̛̺̯͌̽͂ē̴͕͉̤͈̓̋̅̈́̑͘ ̶̨̱͇̐̆͗͗̚h̵͉̦̽̓͂̈́ḭ̴͕̺̟̖̿̄m.Y̴̜͓̯̿̆o̴͍̟̠̊̔ũ̷̧̪͒ ̷͉̼͋͠c̷̛̹̖̟͐a̵͕̾n̶̊ͅn̶͈͝o̷̡̙̮̐̿ť̶̨̬̲͠ ̵̛̮̰̏͐r̷͇͆͑e̴̳̫̤̍ǎ̴͕̬͜c̷̢̊͜h̴̪͙͑̎ ̷̪̂̿͝h̵͈͔̯̑̉i̵̠̔̌m̸̪͛̌.̸̜̌͆͜ ̷̍͝ͅ_ **

 

_ Reach him..?  _

Shisui flashed his light over to the mirror. Sasuke was in the same position as before. The amount of blood on his cousins being concerned him, but his chest was still rising. He was alive. 

He tried to touch the mirror. He half expected for his arm to go through it as it did in Hidan’s bathroom, but he felt a hard surface instead. 

It made no sense. None of this made  _ any  _ sense. Shisui remembered his conversation with Hidan at the restaurant - it seemed so long ago now. He was taught that blood was significant in these situations, and Naruto’s was already splattered all over the glass. If Shisui could mix his with Naruto’s, he might be able to reach through and get Sasuke. 

_ Seriously _ . Fuck blood pacts and fuck his ancestors. 

“I’m going to try something,” he started, “I don’t know if  it will work, but…” Shisui grit his teeth as he struggled to close his blistered, charred palm into a fist. “Do either of you have a knife?” 

Obito scowled. “What are you thinking? If you cut your hand open-”

“My palm  _ and  _ my wrist are already fucked Obito. You’re not even injured, so don’t try and stop me. I think it might have to do with the Uchiha-Senju blood thing.” 

“I don’t have a knife, but I can go to the kitch-” Naruto was cut off quickly.

“No. You stay here. I don’t want you out of eyesight right now,” Obito ordered. “Just punch it,” he told Shisui. 

Shisui nodded. “That was the plan if neither of you were carrying one.” 

He didn’t even take a second longer. His fist was through the glass in a flash. He bit down on all of the curses that would’ve flown from his tongue if he’d allowed them to and shut his eyes tight as blood trickled down onto his burned palm. 

“Holy shit! Your hand is fucked!” Obito exclaimed, rushing to Shisui’s side and steadying his balance. “I think you’re going into shock Shisui!” 

“Just smear it all over the…” Shisui exhaled heavily and Obito watched as his pupils unfocused. “Obito, I-” His skin was draining of all color. Obito ground his teeth, trying to contain his panic.

“I’m going to lay you down.” 

Obito placed his hands firmly on either one of Shisui’s shoulders and backed him up. Shisui’s knees buckled and Obito helped him adjust his legs, using one of Sasuke’s pillows to elevate his feet. He grabbed Shisui’s bleeding arm by the elbow and swiped the lacerated skin with his fingers, causing a good amount to transfer onto his own hand. 

Shisui didn’t even wince. He’d definitely gone into shock. 

He rushed over to the mirror and wiped Shisui’s blood exactly where Naruto’s had been. 

The door slammed shut and the light on Shisui’s phone that had fallen to the ground in the midst of it all flickered off.  

Naruto jumped and Obito gasped as his hand fell through the glass. Sasuke looked up as soon as Obito’s fingers brushed against the fabric of his shirt. He tangled his fingers in the fabric, eager to get a hold of some sort on his youngest cousin. Sasuke, grabbing onto his forearm. Obito switched his grip and grabbed onto his wrist, settling this way as it was a better grip. Obito grit his teeth. “This is fucking painful! It’s like I’m being stabbed!” 

“You can’t do it alone!” Naruto rushed forward, throwing both of his hands out and wrapping them around Sasuke’s waist. “We’re gonna get you out! Pull, Obito!” 

They yanked Sasuke out simultaneously with tremendous effort. 

Glass shattered everywhere followed by blood. Sasuke’s body flew threw the air and Naruto shifted his position so that Sasuke would fall on top of him. All three of them cried out in agony. Falling on top of glass in addition to the way the mirror had cut them took them all off guard. 

Before Obito could recover, Shisui’s phone rang again, but this time it was a looped tone. As soon as Obito could will himself to do so, he reached for the phone. He saw your name on the caller ID and answered. 

“(Name)..?” He called for you. He was unsure if you were the one that had called. With all that had just occurred, he had suspected it might be the demon.

_ “Shisui… I need Shisui… You’re not Shisui. Give the phone to him.” _ You sounded small, terrified. It didn’t seem like you recognized his voice. Obito tried to stand but stumbled, slamming his chin down on the carpeted floor. He grunted, feeling a sharp piece of the mirror cut through his skin. 

“He’s not here right now. You’re gonna have to settle for me, doll. Are you okay?” He asked. He tried to use his bleeding hand to lift himself up, hissing at the effort. 

_ “Obito..?”  _

“Yeah. You alright, kid?” 

_ “I… I got into a car accident. I’m okay, but there’s someone… standing outside.”  _

His heart nearly stopped. This couldn’t get any worse. “What do you mean?” He groaned as he lifted himself to his knees. 

_ “I’m on the freeway. I ran into the divider. It’s pointing towards the off ramp. I swerved to avoid it and now it’s just standing there.”  _ God, you sounded so scared. 

_ Stand up Obito, you fucking worthless piece of shit!  _ He cursed himself. He used the bed to pull himself to a stand.

“Where are you, doll?” 

_ “I was driving home from the gym. I’m on the international highway.”  _

“East?"

_ “Y-Yeah.” _

“What exit is closest to you?” Obito took a shaky step forward, unsure as to why his body felt so heavy all of a sudden.

_ “Exit 4.”  _

“Is your car driveable?” 

_ “It is, but…” _

He checked his pocket for his keys. “But what?” 

_ “I think my battery died, Obito.” _

“Did you turn your car off?” 

_ “No,” _ you insisted. _ “It just died.” _ A second later, your voice turned into an even higher pitch.  _ “Obito it’s walking over to me!”  _

“What?!” He shrieked, hurrying to the door.

_ “Oh… oh my god! Obito!” _ He heard a thump in the background. _ “I-I’m going to get out and run! It’s like the same thing as before..! Obito!” _

“No. Stay in your fucking car! I’m coming!” The door wouldn’t budge. He hadn’t burned his hand, but it was like it was locked from the outside.  

_ “Please hurry Obito. I’m so scared that I want to fucking cry.”  _

“Don’t cry. Stay alert, stay aware. Grab anything that can be used as a weapon. I’m on the way, kiddo. Just breathe, okay?” Obito panted, finding himself much more out of breath than usual. 

Sasuke groaned, finally regaining his consciousness.

“Sasuke!” Obito called. “I’m going to break your door down! (Name)’s in trouble! Call 911 from my phone!” He tossed his own cell to the ground nearest Sasuke. 

“Shit…” Sasuke gasped. “I can’t… breathe…” He lifted himself from Naruto’s chest weakly. It seemed as if Naruto had passed out.   
  
“Are you going to be-”   
  
“We will be... fine. Go... save her.” Sasuke reached slowly for Obito’s phone.  

Obito didn’t waste any time. Thankfully, the door was hollow and he broke through without much effort. He had to kick a few times before there was a large enough hole for him to crawl out of - he wasn’t going to risk reaching for the knob - and while he was doing all of this, he was talking to you too. Obito thanked himself for deciding to wear combat boots today.

According to you, the figure was taking extremely slow steps towards you. It was unfortunate that you were stranded during one of the freeways dead hours, but that only made Obito hurry even more.    
  
He nearly sprinted out of the hallway, not even stopping to get a towel to sop up the blood that was now soaking the arm of his favorite sweater.

He flung the door open after unlocking it and was about to sprint outside while soothing you, but he nearly ran straight into Itachi.

The first thing Itachi noticed was all of the blood. 

Obito’s wild eyes rested in Izumi. “Shisui’s in shock, bleeding, and probably has a third degree burn. Naruto’s unconscious and bleeding, and Sasuke’s hardly awake. He’s bleeding everywhere too. I told him to call 911 but (Name) is in trouble!” 

He roughly shoved Itachi out of the way and Izumi started screeching curse words that he paid no attention to.   
  
“Wait! Obito! You’re bleeding!”

He was in his car and taking off before they could stop him. The last thing he saw before tearing away at a breakneck speed was Izumi nearly tripping over herself trying to run inside. 

You had been talking relatively calmly (considering the situation) with Obito for a few minutes now so when he heard your breath hitch, he knew there was a problem. 

“You good, kiddo?”

_ “It… opened the door.”  _

“Get out of the car!” He stepped on the gas. “(Name)?!” He tried after a few seconds of receiving no response. “(Name)!” 

Droplets of rain began to pelt his windshield and he heard you take another sharp breath. 

_ “Obi-”  _

Your voice stopped. Obito looked down at the screen of Shisui’s phone and dread hit him so hard it made him sick.

The call had been disconnected.


End file.
